


A Bundle of Yarrow

by bundleofyarrow



Series: A Bundle of Yarrow Universe [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Drama, Multi, Other, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:07:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29087343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bundleofyarrow/pseuds/bundleofyarrow
Summary: Ready for a romantic adventure? This is a reader-insert of following the main storyline of Pokemon Shield as a separate young adult character who eventually becomes romantically involved with Milo, the Grass-type gym leader. This is a bit of a slow burn, so don't expect a romantic relationship right away! I will be writing the story as I play the game, incorporating events that happen there and other random elements (which Pokemon are caught, the weather, natures, critical hits, fainting, etc.). Each chapter will center around the time spent in an area of the game (Postwick, Route 1). This will be mostly fluff but it may get more mature down the line! I will warn of anything sexual.This is my first time doing this, comments appreciated! Reader is as gender neutral as possible, but might sometimes lean femme. Themes of feeling lost and finding yourself; if you're struggling with this, take care of yourself as you read! If any heavy topics arise, I will put a content warning. Anything related to Pokemon is not my property.Requests for imagines and scenes that fit inside this universe are opening up! Feel free to ask through my tumblr: https://bundleofyarrow.tumblr.com/
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Reader, Yarrow | Milo/Reader
Series: A Bundle of Yarrow Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134095
Comments: 14
Kudos: 66





	1. Postwick

Galar is a land of hills. Or at least, Postwick is, and it’s just about the only thing you’ve seen since you arrived. Soft curves of verdant green, sometimes tawny gold with a bale of hay or two. There’s a sign around here that says this is a farming town since days of yore, and the near constant whines of Wooloo are determined to never let you forget it. Lying on one such hill, almost completely vertical, you oversee the main road were balls of wool roll where they please. You feel transported, like you’re viewing another planet from some place outside.

The giddy hollering of children and Pokemon at the house not far away pulls you back to earth. A young girl bounds up to you with an anxious-looking blue creature in her arms.

“Look! It’s my new Sobble~ Leon got it for me! Isnt’s he great?”

Your cousin’s bright eyes implore you to sit up, propping yourself on your right arm once you realize one of your legs has fallen asleep.

“He’s adorable Gloria.”

You lean in closer to take a look, you’ve never seen a Pokemon like this before. The Sobble turns his face into Gloria, clearly shy and overwhelmed.

“It looks like he’s already taken to you!”

She looks down and holds him closer, beaming, rocking slightly.

“It’s okay, this is my cousin. That means part of our family!” Gloria turns slightly so her Pokemon can safely peek out at you. “I’m sure he’ll warm up to you too!”

You give the Pokemon your softest smile, and while he doesn’t completely warm up to you, he leans in a little to get a better look at you. Baby steps.

“Oh yeah, I also came here to say that dinner’s ready!”

The sound of sizzling meat and peppers hasn’t escaped your notice, but now the smell entices you to go and socialize with the family neighbors. Gloria shuffles back down the hill towards the fanciest house of Postwick, where the Champion of Galar and his family lives.

You take your time getting up and brushing off the grass from your clothes. A breeze rolled over the hill, reminding you that your Alolan wardrobe is way too thin for Galar’s climate. As you climb down, you see the neighbor boy, Hop, waving skewers at you before turning back to his bunny Pokemon, who kicks up some embers to give the meat a little extra char. You try to put on a smile as your auntie puts food in your hands and introduces you to everyone. It’s hard not too feel awkward, being not only new to this group of people but to this entire region, but you genuinely are looking forward to having the best time you can while you’re here. Eventually the adults get distracted by Hop’s antics, where he ropes in Gloria to do yet another trick with their new Pokemon. You sit down at the table nearby and just watch for a bit.

If you had been distracted, you wouldn’t have noticed the pair of big eyes pop up from the side of the table, topped with green tufts of hair shaped like leaves. You must have had quite the expression of surprise on your face when a little orange hand darted towards your food, because two bigger hands immediately scooped up the trickster before he could make off with your food.

“Now now Grookey, that’s not champion behavior!”

The admittedly cute Pokemon flailed in Leon’s grasp for a bit, shedding some fake tears until he was given a wedge of grilled Mago berry.

“Sorry about that, this little one is quite the handful around food.” He tried to seem stern but you could tell he was more amused. “He didn’t startle you too badly, did he?”

You strangely don’t feel that shy around Leon. It feels like you should be more star-struck, but maybe because this is the first time you even really knew he existed, he came off more as an ordinary guy with a flair for the dramatic. He seemed like a nice guy, wanting to give everyone a little attention, which also made him seem a bit spread thin. But you could see him start to settle as the light faded from the sky and fans stopped coming by to cheer at him.

“Oh not at all, I was just a little surprised! If I wasn’t paying attention, he would have be feasting like a king.”

The Grookey pouts as you let out a light chuckle, taking a finger and lightly rubbing his forehead.

“And have a massive stomachache tomorrow that I would have to deal with!”

Leon says everything with a little bit of a laugh, and his eyes seem like they are permanently smiling. He looks between you and Grookey while seeming in thought.

“You’re staying here in Galar for a while now, yeah? What are your plans?”

You slide over a bit to let Leon sit next to you as he sets Grookey on the table between you. His cape and hair make him seem larger than he is, and talking with him at eye-level feels like talking to Leon, the person not Leon, the Champion.

“I’m not entirely sure to be honest. I just had to…” You’re never sure what to say about your past, and the uncertainty of your future. “…get away for a bit. Maybe start over, find a clean slate.”

The breeze picks up again and you feel the sleeve of your shirt slide a little down your shoulder, exposing some skin. You don’t realize that you should be embarrassed about it until you catch Leon’s gaze eyeing your collarbone and then quickly looking back to the Grookey. It was common to show skin on the hot coasts of the Alolan islands, but as you take a look around, everyone around you is more covered up.

“I’d like a bit of adventure, I think.” You say absent-mindedly as you readjust your top, oblivious to Leon fidgeting a bit.

“Ah, well-” He moves in his seat again, “what do you think of this here Grookey?” Leon rests a hand on his head and lightly rustles it. “I think you two might get along!”

This took you by surprise, the last thing you were expecting was to be offered a foreign Pokemon.

“O-oh really?? But I thought you were going to train him to become a part of your champion team or something?”

He smirked at ‘or something,’ as if entertained by your complete lack of interest in the most popular Galarian sport.

“That was the plan, but you said you wanted some adventure! Can’t get around many places here without a Pokemon. Being a trainer lets you travel a lot here in Galar. Maybe you’ll get to compete in the upcoming Gym Challenge if you’re up for it!” He grinned some more here. “Who knows, maybe you’ll end up facing me in the end. Wouldn’t that be an adventure?”

You laughed a bit, shaking your head but trying to show an appreciative face. “Me? Be a trainer? And a good enough one to face you?? You’re funny.”

Hop has already regaled the crowd at dinner about how excited he is for camping in the Wild Area, hiking through ruins and snow, getting lost in haunted forests. You’ve never been one for the outdoors, and don’t think moving regions would change that.

“That’s kind of you, and he is cute. But that wasn’t the kind of adventure I was thinking of.” You smile at them both. “I appreciate you though!” 

Leon seems a little confused at first, but recovers quickly and nods. Eventually the kids come over still hollering over Pokemon, and Hop quickly begins to monologue about his favorite topic: Leon, his brother. Hop drags you inside once he realizes how little you know about Galar’s Gym Challenge, Gloria and Leon trailing behind, with the former happy to be spared from the lecture about the Champion for once. You all found yourselves in Leon’s room, Hop showing you different magazines and eagerly pointing at different pictures of his brother’s most memorable fights. The trophies throughout the house and the weights in his room really do scream _Champion_. Is there ever a moment when he's not? Eventually Hop decides that Gloria and himself need to look up more information on their new Pokemon, and pulls her away into his room, leaving you and Leon alone.

The Champion, who really just seems like a man rather than a god to you, sheepishly rubs the back of his head and shrugs.

“Sorry about that, once Hop gets going, it’s hard to make him stop.”

He begins to collect all the magazines his brother pulled out and carefully places them back where they belong. It just hits you now how carefully organized everything is, and how little escapes his attention. You notice all the hats neatly arranged around his room, walking up towards the rows of shelves and scanning all the different kinds he owns.

“I like your collection.” You mean that, you’ve always enjoyed window shopping at boutiques and spotting people who took fashion seriously. “If I didn’t just hear everything your brother told me, I’d think you were the Champion of Streetwear.”

His chuckle comes from right behind you, startling you a bit. Turning around, you meet his intense and mischievous gaze. 

“Adventure, huh?”

He steps a foot towards you, and you instinctually press back against the dresser behind you. Leon closes the distance between you and meets your lips with his, only making your heart race faster. What is happening?? You melt into the kiss, I mean, this _is_ the Champion we’re talking about here, and go along with his lead. He doesn’t draw it out or take it too far; it wasn’t a sweet kiss but one of intrigue.

Parting just moments away from your lips, he breathes out a “You’re so different, too bad-”

“KIDS? Are you up there!? It’s getting late and time to go home!”

The moment is broken by a yell from your auntie, and the shuffling of feet all over the house makes Leon swiftly give you some space. You’re still a bit flustered, and confused honestly, but you know to shyly smile in these situations.

“Pity we won’t be seeing much of each other, now that challenge season is on.” He takes your hand and guides you off his dresser and towards the threshold of his room. “But I hope you find that thing you’re looking for.”

He winks as Gloria pops her head in and calls for you, and watches her take your hand to pull you away. You wave to Leon, not really knowing what to say.

Outside it is dark, the faintest hints of dusk dropping further behind the hills. Butterfree flutter from tree to tree, and your aunt’s Budew are nestled in the front yard. All you can hear are Gloria's footfalls up towards her house and the thumping of your heart against your chest. Your cousin is quite tuckered out from all the excitement, and you only stay up a little with your auntie with the family’s Munchlax resting in your lap. She asks the usual ‘how are you adjusting’s and ‘do you think you’ll enjoy it here’s, and you begin to think you made a mistake turning down Leon’s offer. Eventually you take Munchlax over to the guest bedroom and nestle into bed, hoping to understand what you’re supposed to do in this new land.

* * *

The sounds of yelling and Pokemon cries jolts you from your sleep. It takes you a couple moments to realize an organized battle is going on, rather than some emergency.

“How do people get used to battling happening all the time?”

Yawning, you pawed the blankets of the bed until you found the lump that was Munchlax.

“Rise and shine, if I have to wake up, so do you~” Groans of protest shuffled under the covers, only twisting more into a warm cocoon. “Well, don’t blame me if auntie doesn’t prepare you breakfast.”

You hear frantic scrambling as you leave bed and head towards the kitchen, where your aunt is already drinking tea and checking her phone. You exchange usual pleasantries, making toast for yourself and ducking out to take a shower as soon as you could find a way to excuse yourself.

Eventually you find yourself wandering out of the house and into the late-morning air, smelling greenery and hay as usual. You notice a Wooloo hitting itself into a nearby gate, and shrug it off. Walking down the main path, you see Hop containing a tantrum within himself as he stands over his fainted Scorbunny. It looks like Leon is giving Gloria and Hop a speech of sorts, something about being rivals, and you’re able to pass by with a wave. Leon nods at you with a cordial smile, not at all seeming like a man who kissed you the night before. It seems like in public, he always needs to be the Champion. Unsure of how you feel about that, you decide to pick a new resting spot, down closer to Route 1.


	2. Route 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You meet a mysterious someone who encourages you to take your first step on your new adventure. Some self-doubt and mental struggling here, but not too bad.

You walk down the path, stopping short of getting too close to the tall grass. Every child has that experience of wandering in without a Pokemon to fight for them, and you don’t need to relive it. You step on a nearby overturned wheelbarrow to boost you up over a wall and into a hill of grass. Finding a good spot in the sun that let you gaze safely over Route 1, you lie down and close your eyes.

Everything from yesterday crept back into your mind’s eye. The kids getting new Pokemon, Leon basically asking what you’re doing with your life, that kiss. It’s starting to become undeniable how frustrated you are with yourself. Back home, everything drained you, and nothing felt right. Everyone had expectations and you couldn’t seem to match them. Here, at least, no one knows anything about you, and you could completely reinvent yourself. Become a new person if you wanted it. But you can’t do that without a purpose or any direction.

The corners of your eyes began to moisten and your nose sniffles. The soft flaps of Butterfree wings and rustling of grass continued as always, as if nothing noticed your presence. You brought one arm over your eyes and just began quietly bawling. The image of Leon’s expression from yesterday, when you declined his Grookey… you now realize, it was disappointment.

It's hard to deny how much you wanted to escape home, and running away is the only thing you know. But you know you can't just run _away_ , you also have to run _towards_ something. You can't help but curl up a bit, feeling vulnerable. But run towards what? Or who?

“…doin’ alright over there?”

At first you thought the voice was directed at someone else far off; it was quiet, concerned, but not full of pity. It wasn’t until you removed the arm from over your eyes that you saw a figure of a man leaning over the wall looking up at you.

“O-oh, sorry!” You shot up, wiping your eyes to clear your vision.

The first thing you noticed were kind, jade eyes, accompanied by freckles and peach locks of flyaway hair barely contained by a cap. ‘Soft’ was the word that stuck in your mind. Then you began to notice his large frame, the broadest set of shoulders you’ve ever seen, with muscles evident across his arms that were crossed and leaning on the wall separating the two of you.

He took notice of your gaze, not moving at all and keeping the same, even tone of voice. “I’ll stay right over here, jus' thought I’d check in on you.”

You shook your head quickly and collected yourself, laughing beneath your breath a bit at how foolish you felt. Your first reaction was to just thank the man and crawl away, embarrassed. But his open eyes just invited you to just let it go. New region, new life, new you, right?

“No- I’m sorry, I- thank you. I’m just…” you breathed in a bit, “I’m not having a good moment. I didn’t mean to alarm you!”

You start to get a little flustered realizing how strange it must be to cry out in the open like you were. “I’m having like, you know, a life crisis or something.” A chuckle vibrates from your tense lips, humor feeling like a defensive mechanism from embarrassment.

The man didn’t move at all, just kept a calm, reassuring look on his face. And it didn’t feel like an act at all, rather he wanted to devote his complete attention to you in this moment.

“That sounds rough. Wanna talk about it?”

You were honestly stunned by the kindness of this stranger, and it must have shown since he smiled at you nodding in disbelief.

“May I come sit next to you?”

He waited until he received an affirmative before gliding over the wall in one swift movement. You couldn’t help but notice how the white tee he was wearing hugged his body as he walked up the hill towards you and gently sat next to you. His body radiated a light warmth and the smell of herbs, hay, and a bit of sweat. He smiled again as he noticed you seemed relaxed with him nearby, and waited patiently for you to speak.

“W-well, for starters,” you cleared your throat a bit so you didn’t sound like a complete mess. “I’ve just arrived here from Alola.”

“Oh wow, welcome! That explains your lovely accent. Are you visitin'?”

He said that so naturally and earnestly, but it still made you a bit flushed.

“I’ve moved here, but I’m not sure for how long. Really, I don’t know much about what I’m doing.” You looked down towards the grass between you. “I feel lost and without a path. No clue what to do with myself.”

You hated saying the words out loud, but it was the truth. What’s the risk of baring your soul to a stranger anyway?

The man titled his head down to catch your gaze.

“Hey now, that’s alright. We have all have these lit'le moments.”

You both sit back up, and you turned towards him instinctively. That's just how inviting he felt.

“Sounds to me you just need to explore life a bit more. See what’s out there!” He gestured out past the route and Wedgehurst just beyond it. “You don’t need to know everythin’, only be open to what the world has to give you.”

You felt something inside you resist, that same feeling when you were Leon.

“But I can’t do it on my own. I don’t have a Pokemon, I don’t think I’ll make a good trainer… I guess I’m a bit scared of not doing it right.” Your head falls again. “Sorry you have to see me like this, I’m not usually such a downer.”

He reaches a hand towards your shoulder, hesitating for a moment.

“May I?”

At your nod, he places it there and gives it the softest squeeze. It’s remarkable to you how gentle and considerate he is despite his size.

“I know we’re different people, but when I look at you, I see someone special.”

His smile is so genuine that it confuses you, given you’ve only just met.

“Can I give you a present?”

You sit in wonder as he continues to surprise you, taking his hand from your shoulder and slipping off the leather bag you only now noticed was strapped to his back. He digs around in it, the sound of metal clinking drawing your interest. It isn’t long before he produces a Pokeball, and hands it toward you.

“A Pokemon? For me??”

He gestures for you to take it, and places it into your palm when you offer it.

“I don’t know what to say, are you sure?”

“I’m a Wooloo rancher a couple towns over,” he begins, getting is bag back on his back. “And I have quite the feisty lot, always causin' me a bunch’a trouble!” He still beams though, you can tell he loves his Pokemon despite the hassle they cause him. “So I wandered over here to see if I could find more calm ones to introduce to the herd. That one,” he gestures to the Pokeball in your hand with his chin, “is an extra fella I caught, but he’s a real sweetie. Go on, let’s meet ‘em!”

Still in disbelief, you gently toss the ball between the two of you and sure enough, out pops a Wooloo! Blinking, it looks around, and not sensing any particular danger, turns toward the stranger. “Baaah?” He chuckled and rubbed the Wooloo through its wool. The Pokemon was indeed quite energetic and affectionate, and you couldn't help but smile seeing the two together.

“I know this is sudden, and I just caught you n' all, but I’m not your trainer any longer. It’s this lovely person right here!”

The Pokemon’s eyes followed where he pointed, and without much thinking, the Wooloo scooted over to you and leaned up against your propped-up legs. With a bit of encouragement, you began to pet your new Pokemon, and it made its happy noises. You didn’t notice that you began tearing up until you heard a voice of concern.

“Oh no, is somethin' wrong? Did I mess up?”

You shake your head and look him straight in the eyes, offering your best smile.

“Of course not. This is the best present anyone’s given me.”

He nods, lips upturning into a gentle smile. “I’m glad.”

He holds a look at you and the Wooloo for a couple seconds longer before saying anything else. “I hope you’re feelin' better now.”

“I am, thank you. I honestly have no words, you’ve been so kind to me…”

“Nothing else necessary! Your happiness is enough for me.”

He pauses again, this time adjusting his cap so it covered more of his face in its shade.

“Well, it pains me to say, but I must be off.”

He rose to his feet, and you would follow if it wasn’t for the Wooloo nestling further into your lap.

“No don’t get up, you’re perfect there.”

He slowly brushed himself off, looking like he had something to say. Clearing his throat, he continued his goodbye.

“I hope we get to meet again, whatever path you’re on. Don’t pressure yourself to become a great trainer, there’s more to Pokemon, and life, than that!” He places his hands on his waist and gives a solid, encouraging nod. “Cheers!”

You wanted to yell out for him to wait, but he quickly slid down the slope and hopped over the wall. He jogged a bit back to the main path ahead towards Wedgehurst, and just before disappearing into town, turning around and giving you a big wave. Despite not knowing each other’s names, you felt deep down, that you’d meet again.

A good amount of time passed before you began to hear the yelling of children, or more specifically, of Hop with others trying to catch up to him. It’s not long before he comes up near your spot and notices you, waving frantically.

“You will not BELIEVE what just happened!!”

He jumps over the wall, already starting his story about how he and Gloria valiantly went into the Slumbering Weald before noticing the rousing Wooloo in your lap.

“Oh WOW when did you get a Wooloo!?” He leans in and smiles at your Pokemon, who seems receptive to Hop’s energy and sniffs in his general direction. “Now that you have one, you’re an official Galarian!”

He didn’t pause for long in his story, which you nodded along with as you pat your new Wooloo. It sounded like the kids encountered an adventure in the forest, and are heading out to start another. Gloria eventually joined you both, cooing over the Wooloo, and you couldn’t get that kind man’s freckled smile out of your mind.

“What’s this?”

You look over to see Leon, who has a confused stare aimed at you and your Wooloo. You quickly explain to everyone that you met a nice stranger who gave you your first Pokemon, and how he encouraged you to set off on your own kind of adventure. While the kids cheered for you, something felt off about Leon. His look went from undecipherable to politely cheerful.

“That sounds like such a chance encounter! How special.” He shakes his head and calls the kids back over to the path, “Come on you two, we need you to meet the professor before it gets too late!”

Naturally, both of them tugged at your arms, pulling you up so you could come along with them. A part of you, the part scared of failure, resisted. You felt a strong urge to return to your bed. But one look at your extra fluffy Wooloo quelled that inner critic.

“Okay, I’m in!”

You returned him to his Pokeball and let Gloria lead you down the hill and through Route 1.

You guess this is the start of your adventure. What kind of adventure, you don’t know, but you want something more to say for the next time you meet that peach-haired stranger.


	3. Wedgehurst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is on their way to the Pokemon lab to get their Pokedex, and buried tensions reveal themselves~

Fans, everywhere. Striking that cheesy pose and constantly yelling. At least from the outside, Leon looked like he was eating it all up. He mentioned something about ‘Champion Time’ and asked you to take the kids down to the Pokemon Lab. In reality, Hop led the way while you and Gloria trailed him, leaving Leon and Charizard to attend to what seemed like the entire population of Wedgehurst.

Inside lab was much more calm and serene than you were expecting. There were books and plants all over, some well-organized, others scattered in more organic arrangements. A yellow dog-like Pokemon ran up to you all, barking and wagging its behind.

“Yamper!” Hop kneeled next the Yamper and let it sniff and lick his hands. You can tell that they are familiar with one another and Hop has visited this Yamper before. “How are ya boy? Where’s Sonia?”

“Up here, Hop.”

On the second level was a trendy-looking woman twirling her hair with one hand and a book in another. She had a cool and somewhat aloof air about her, but seemed like she wasn’t particularly displeased that you interrupted her reading. The group walked over near the shelves of books closer to her, and you peered into a greenhouse of many plants you haven't seen before. The vibrant green foliage and soft pink petals reminded you of a certain someone...

“I can hear a commotion going on outside from here! Did your brother come with you?”

As if on cue, Leon burst through the door with his Charizard right behind him, making a dramatic entrance despite everyone expecting him to arrive.

“The crowd was really riled up today!”

You couldn’t tell if he was pleased or complaining, but he kept a grin on his face as he joined the rest of us looking up at Sonia. You had a feeling that despite his theatrics, he rushed over here to see what was going on. “Oh it’s Sonia, is the professor not in today?”

Sonia crossed her arms over her chest, looking a little annoyed. “She’s _not_ , I’m afraid. And no, we have not discovered any super strong new secrets about Dynamaxing, Leon.”

She starts to walk across to the stairs. “Are you not going to introduce me to your new fans?” It definitely seems to you like Sonia and Leon have a bit of history.

“Oh yes, this little one here is Gloria, and this lovely-” He catches himself, and your eyes widen a bit. “ah, this is her cousin, who just moved here from Alola!”

You quickly introduce yourself, and she regards you with a curious expression.

“And, well, what can I say about Sonia? Hmm, I guess I like her cooking?” Leon uncharacteristically sounds very awkward, fiddling with his cap and looking away from everyone.

“ _Just_ my cooking!?”

Sonia glares at Leon, and this is the first time you’ve seen him wilt away from someone’s attention.

“We were-” her eyes look towards the children, “ _rivals_. You wouldn’t be as strong as you are now without me!”

She huffed a bit and the children giggled, missing the entire subtext. You raised your eyebrows a bit looking at Leon, who was avoiding making eye contact with you.

“Ahem, well, uh-” Leon looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here right now. “Right, so, we came to see you because these guys are ready to start getting more serious about Pokemon!”

The mention of Pokemon brought back his confidence. “Do you think you could hook them up with a Pokedex?”

Sonia smirked, looking like she just won something, and complied. She set up the Pokedex app on your Rotom phones, and everyone immediately called out their Pokemon to test it with. The clamor of Pokemon noises, electronic voices of the Pokedex, and yells of excitement seemed to have cleared the tension a bit. It wasn’t long before Hop declared that it was time to go visit Professor Magnolia at her home up Route 2.

“I bet she can convince Leon to endorse us for the Gym Challenge!” He told Gloria just before darting out the door, your cousin trying to catch up as usual.

Leon shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. “Those kids… Well, we can’t let them go through the route alone, now can we?” He finally addressed you, tension apparently gone as he signaled for you to come follow after the children.

**“** Oh wait!”

You feel a hand clasp your upper arm- it’s Sonia.

**“** It’s been forever since someone new our age has come around. I’d love to steal you and get to know you a little better!”

She winked at you, making your face flush a bit.

It just took one look at Leon’s face that he did _not_ like this idea. He opened his mouth open to protest but looked towards the door, knowing the kids were going to make it to the tall grass without him if he didn’t hurry.

“Okay, but join us later? Don’t be too long!”

He hurried to the door, almost bumping into his Charizard, who had been looking upon the scene with sage silence. Once he left, Sonia let out a breath that sounded like she was holding in, letting go of your arm.

“That guy… head always in the clouds. He could learn to join us humans on earth more often.”

She rolled her eyes, but you couldn’t help but hear some lingering remnants of affection in her voice.

“I hope you don’t mind that I pulled you away from the rest, I’ve just been cooped up in this lab for days just, lost and confused. Could use a friend, even a new one!”

You’re surprised about how frank she is about her feelings, something you’re working on yourself.

“What a coincidence, I said the same thing to a stranger I just met as well!”

You tell her about how you want to go on an adventure, to find a purpose, but just don’t know how, or about what, or with whom.

Sonia just glows as you tell her, and you feel a sense of comradery with her.

“Sounds like we’re in the right same boat, now aren’t we?” She giggles a bit, clearly something is amusing her that she’s not sharing with you. “Let’s hang out for a bit! Doll, I know you’re from Alola, but aren’t you cold here in those clothes?”

* * *

It’s not long until you’re both in Wedgehurst’s boutique, having fun trying different things on. You realize in the middle of it all, that you haven’t had a solid group of friends in a long time. Ever since you finished school, your group drifted to do their own things, at first keeping in touch but over time, slowly fading until all you had were the memories. Ever since arriving in Galar, you’re surrounded by friendly faces who want to get to know you. If going on a journey means meeting new people who want you in their lives… then that’s enough of a purpose to set out on an adventure, right?

A freckled smile entered your thoughts as you gossiped with Sonia, who desperately needed someone to divulge every detail of her past relationship with Leon, and you nodded to yourself that you would try and build a new life here.

Holding up a flashy Arcanine tee, you give Sonia a look. “I’m getting this.”

“It’s fit I’ll give you that.” She takes a look at the price tag. “Oh love, that’s going to do some damage.”

Sonia looks at it again, and holds up a yellow hoodie next to it. “But you surely would stand out!”

You didn’t care, yes it was basically all the money you had on you, but you felt good in this moment with Sonia, and you wanted to seal it in your memory. You’ve been holding yourself back, always nervous about not doing anything right. Screw that, new life.

“I’m going to be eating a lot of wild berries until I learn to battle some trainers then, huh?”

* * *

Both Sonia and you laugh as you leave the boutique in your new fashion, feeling a lot more comfortable now that you’re not constantly tensed up from the chill. You may be broke, but at least you look and feel good!

“We should probably head over to my Gran’s now. Hopefully the kids are all tired out and we can have a nice dinner.” Sonia remarked, looking up at the sky which was beginning to purple.

Before you could set off, you were stopped by someone claiming to be a fortune-teller. They sounded normal enough, just asking for your birthdays.

“Hmm, let’s see here…” You spy that she’s reading out of a book for all her readings.

“For you…” she points to Sonia, “you’re going to uncover a great mystery!”

Sonia looks like she enjoyed that answer, twirling her hair as she considered it.

“And you… will find love when you least expect it!”

You’re shocked to hear that, as while you never really thought much about _love_ , you have noticed that you’ve had quite the few encounters here in Galar despite just being here for no more than a week.

Sonia giggled and pressed her shoulder into yours.

“Sounds like we both have quite the adventures to get to, don’t we?”


	4. Route 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You take your first steps on your journey! For a Milo/ fic, he is missing a lot. But all of this is set up for the juicy drama to come~

Your heart begins to feel a bit lighter. The idle conversation between Sonia and yourself flows naturally, like you’ve always been friends. If it wasn’t for her Yamper leading the way, you both probably would have walked out into the wilderness before you knew what was going on. Eventually you make it to the tall grass of Route 2, and stop just before it. There’s rustling all over, and it’s clear there will be Pokemon battles if you’re to move on. As you pull in some breath, you feel a hand on your shoulder, manicured nails rhythmically tapping.

“Alright? Are you ready to begin your adventure?” She has a way of being both encouraging and nonchalant, you find yourself jealous at how confidence comes so easy to her.

Nodding, you send your Wooloo out of his Pokeball to the nearest disturbance in the tall grass. You reassure him, but he seems more ready to fight than you are, bouncing and ‘baah’ing at the approaching opponent. Soon enough, a wild Yamper marches out of the grass, barking at all of you.

“Oh it’s a Yamper, just like yours!”

The moment you saw it, you knew you wanted it. Having a matching Yamper felt like it would seal your friendship, and you couldn’t think of something you wanted more right now. Your Wooloo bounced again, and this time at your command, began to roll towards the electric Pokemon. The battle took a bit of time as all battles do between newer Pokemon, trading weak attacks and slowly whittling each other down. You made sure your Wooloo didn’t overextend himself, always giving words of encouragement.

“Here.”

You jumped a little, so in the zone of the battle that you forgot Sonia was there next to you. In her outstretched hand was a Pokeball.

“Let’s twinnie it up, shall we?” She smiled as you took the catching device and nodded, turning your focus back on the battle.

The Yamper was panting now, but she looked ready to fight until the very end if she needed to. However, you weren’t going to let her go down like that. Realizing that you’ve never really thrown a Pokeball, you freeze a bit, unsure if you can do it.

You feel Sonia’s hand on your shoulder again, “You got this love.”

That’s all it took for you just put blind faith into your skills. You readied yourself in a stance, watching Wooloo execute another Tackle. Just as he bounced off the Yamper, you saw a window of opportunity while she was stunned. “There!” You threw the ball with all your might, and it somehow hit its mark! Sonia cheered, but your hands shook a bit as the Pokeball thrashed about, not calming down until it clicked and rested in place.

“Wow… I… did it?” You walked over and touched it lightly, as if testing whether or not it was real, before picking it up. “I did it!”

You basked in this small victory with Sonia, taking out your new Yamper and introducing yourself and everyone else to her as you sprayed your Pokemon with some Potion lent to you. She comes off as more obedient and yet independent than your Wooloo, who desires a lot of affection. Sonia gave you some snacks, which the Yamper immediately stood at attention for. You fed her one, and felt like she would do as you say only if you gave her treats. Finding this humorously mercenary, you remind yourself to pick up some berries to keep her happy.

“All set?” Sonia looked off towards a purple house in the distance, which you learned was her grandmother’s.

You nodded, and began your journey down Route 2 in earnest, the Yampers running around with each other, and the Wooloo rolling joyfully. They had to battle a few wild Pokemon on the way, but it wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle. Your confidence in battling was starting rise, and you noticed how your Pokemon were settling into your style and getting stronger. Yamper began to Bite her opponents after Nuzzling them and Wooloo picked up a strange habit of Copycatting opponents moves. But to you, it was still surreal that this was happening at all, and that it felt so… normal. As if you were always meant to do this.

* * *

Sonia seems to be quieter the closer you get to her grandmother’s house. Normally, you wouldn’t pry, knowing how sensitive you could be to prying. But just within the past day, you’ve seen how much you’ve opened up and feel better about life just because someone showed you they cared, even if it meant pushing past some initial awkwardness. You felt like it was your turn to pay attention to others.

“Penny for your thoughts, Sonia?”

She turns towards you with a smile, walking backwards for a bit knowing her Yamper will alert her to pay attention.

“Oh, just thinking about how Gran is about to chew me out for not knowing what I want to do with my life. Whenever Leon and Hop visit, she sees people with drive and ambition, and won’t stop comparing me to them.” Sonia turns back around feeling Yamper brush past her ankle to guide her away from a large rock. “It’s not like I don’t know it! I’m trying, just in my own way…”

You jog up next to her, giving her a light shoulder bump of reassurance. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there with you! We’re in the same boat, remember? We’ll figure something out.”

She returned the shoulder bump, and you both giggled, enjoying the feeling of new friendship. “I’m going to uncover a mystery, huh? I wonder what kind…”

A sudden flash of red lit up the sky and fell towards Professor Magnolia’s house. You both looked to each other and hurried down the route with your Pokemon chasing after you. By the time you arrived, you heard the telltale signs of some exciting new development involving Pokemon.

“GUYS!”

Hop had no volume control, but sometimes his excitement could be infectious. There he was, bouncing in front of both you and Sonia, retelling how Leon is endorsing both the kids for the Gym Challenge, that two wishing stars just fell from the sky, and how Professor Magnolia just promised to make them Dynamax bands. You nodded along not really understanding most of what he was talking about, but Gloria was also in high spirits so you wanted to keep the mood up.

“Just another page in my legend!” Hop exclaimed, hands at his hips. A part of you hopes he never ends up beating his brother, one champion is enough for a family to handle.

“How about we celebrate with a curry dinner? I’ve had success with some new recipes lately!” Sonia twirled her hair around her finger, looking to her grandmother, who seemed pleased. You figured Sonia was buttering her up in order to avoid a lecture.

The kids cheered, Gloria offered to help, and everyone started inside.

You heard someone clear their throat, and you turned to see Leon looking straight at you. He headed towards the bench overlooking the lake without saying anything. You saw the rest file inside the Professor’s house, and decided to go join him. He was looking out at the lake, breathing deeply as one would do for something like meditation.

“It’s sounds like you had a lot of excitement today, huh?” You tried to remain casual, sitting near by him but not so close as to imply anything.

He let out a breath and looked to you with a tired grin. It really did seem he was a different person when alone, a time when the Champion of Galar began to fade away for the day.

“A series of heart attacks really. The kids attacked in the Slumbering Weald, seeing Sonia unexpectedly… _in front of everyone_ , finding out someone else gave you your first Galarian Pokemon.” He looks back out to the lake.

“I-” Why did that matter so much to him? “Hopefully things calm down a bit then, and you can get some rest.”

You’re at a loss of anything intelligent to say in this moment, he seems to be on some other level that you can’t understand.

Leon looks back at you with a bit of a frown, not necessarily of anger but one from thinking a little too much. He reaches into his cape- does he hide things in there??- and pulls out a letter.

“At least allow me to endorse you.”

You blink a few times, not understanding what is happening.

Leon shuffles in his seat uncomfortably as you look confused and don’t take the letter.

“You want to join the Gym Challenge, don’t you? You need an endorsement to enter, and I imagine no one else knows you-”

“Oh no, no no.” You laugh a bit as you shake your head. Does all this man ever think about is Pokemon battles? “I’m not joining the Gym Challenge. I don’t think I’ll ever strong enough for that, just battling the Pokemon over to here was a challenge enough for me!”

You’ve never seen a more bewildered look on a man’s face before. It takes you a second to realize not only have you rejected a starter Pokemon but also now an endorsement _from the Champion of Galar_. The hand with the letter in it was frozen, waiting for when it dawned on you that you made a mistake.

“But isn’t that the adventure you’re looking for? To get stronger?”

An embarrassed smile pulls at your lips, unable to hide what your true intentions are now.

“Want to hear something funny?”

Leon’s hand drops and he nods, mouth a little loose from shock.

“Back in town, we ran into a fortune teller. Do you believe in that sort of stuff?”

He tilts his head a bit, not knowing where this is going. “Like looking up your horoscope? Can’t say that I do…”

“I actually love a bit of fortune telling. I do a bit with some yarrow sticks that my grandmother taught me back in Alola.”

He scratches his chin trying to imagine it. You can tell he's being respectful while not fully understanding why you're bringing this up.

“But anyway, I thought to myself, I’m going to ask this fortune teller to tell me my future. And that will be what my adventure is about.”

“Oh?” Now he sounds a bit amused, wanting to hear what could possibly be more pressing than training to beat the unbeatable Champion. “And what are you going to do on your adventure?”

It’s your turn towards the lake, unable to look him in the face as you say it.

“To find true love when I least expect it.”

There’s silence between you, and you can hear the surface of the lake ripple from the water Pokemon swimming just out of sight. Bug Pokemon in the background use the moment to sing their various songs. You can feel Leon’s gaze on you, and you’re just waiting for the laughter-

“I noticed you’re wearing some new clothes. That’s a blazin’ shirt you have on right now.”

Surprised, you turned to answer him and are met with his golden eyes. You didn’t get the chance to ask how he got so close as he leaned in to kiss you, fumbling a bit but wanting to give you a proper one. This time, despite the shock, you make sure to lean back into him with your kiss, showing a different kind of strength that welled inside you.

A bright red flash interrupted the moment, causing Leon to break away and you look around in confusion. Looking up, something bright was streaking through the sky and eventually crashed into the lake.

“A wishing star!”

In a swift movement, Leon threw off his cape and dove into the lake after it, his designer cap falling to where he was just sitting.

“Leon!!” You screamed, and moments after you heard the door to the house swing open and footsteps rush out. “Leon come back!”

Shouting at the water was probably useless, but there were all sorts of Pokemon in the lake. Surely it was dangerous…

“What’s going on!?”

Sonia came to your side with Hop hot on her heels. Gloria and Professor Magnolia stood at the threshold of the house, concerned looks on their faces.

“He jumped into the lake? What is wrong with him-”

Soon enough, bubbles began to surface from below, and Leon’s head broke through and into the air. He took in a big gasp of oxygen before looking over to us, grinning through his mop of purple hair. Swimming to the ledge of the lake, Leon reached out towards you, and in his hand a strange purple rock that glowed red.

“This is yours! It’s a sign that…”

He coughs a bit, from water getting into his mouth or embarrassment, you’re not sure.

“That your dream will come true.”

You are careful taking it from him, lightly grazing his fingers as you hold the wishing star in your hand. So this is the sign, that this is the adventure you’re meant to go on.

Sonia looks between you two, just realizing that you were alone out here with Leon. You could tell she is wondering what wish was in your heart to cause this star’s appearance.

“Well look at that luck! If you want, I can make that into a band for you, love. Gran has her hands full with the kids’ but she taught me how to make them as well.”

The idea of Sonia making something for you warmed you up as the chill of dusk started to settle in. With a smile, you gingerly hand over the stone to her, and she pockets it.

Leon in the meantime lifts himself out of the lake, shaking like a Yamper in attempt to dry off. Sonia rolls her eyes but chuckles at his antics.

“Come on you, we can’t have our Champion getting pneumonia just before the Gym Challenge starts.”

She picks up his hat and cape, and giggles a bit when, in attempt to get his mane out of his face, he looks like the back of a Stunky on a bad day.

“You’re such a goof. Inside, you know where the shower is.”

The scent of spicy curry draws everyone home, somehow in even better spirits.

* * *

It came over breakfast, just as Hop and Gloria left the house in excitement to catch a train over to Motostoke.

“Sonia, what are you doing with your life?” Professor Magnolia’s stern voice made Sonia’s expression drop with dread.

“Gran, please-”

“Don’t ‘Gran please’ me young lady. You were supposed to come back from the lab with a research topic for a book.”

Leon quietly ate his toast, back in his now damp uniform. It seems like he knew better than to get in the path of a Magnolia lecture.

You reached under the table and lightly squeezed one of Sonia’s hands.

“Well?”

Sonia looked at you, and nodded with an appreciative smile.

“I’m going on adventure.” She turned to lock stares with her grandmother. “To solve the biggest mystery in all of Galar.”

* * *

Sonia, Leon, and you made it to Wedgehurst’s train station with minimal awkwardness, and from the onlooker’s point of view, you looked like a trio of friends. There was a lot left unsaid, but given the journey in front of you, there was plenty of time to work that out. You touched your wrist, where a newly fashioned band rest, and a warm stone reminded you of your wish. You looked over to Leon, thinking about how he, without a second thought, dove into the lake. It’s as if he wanted to make sure your adventure had a happy ending.

“Oh _there_ you are!”

You were surprised to hear your auntie’s voice, having all but forgotten about anything Postwick. She held up a large backpack and handed it to you.

“I put in as many clothes and supplies I could find. You’re lucky Leon texted his mother and told me what you and Gloria were getting into!”

Leon gives a thumbs up to your aunt, apparently back in Champion mode.

“But I’m sorry, I gave our camping gear to Gloria. Maybe if you catch up with her-”

“She can stay in mine! I mean, use mine. Borrow mine?”

Everyone turned to Leon uncharacteristically sputtering. You felt like maybe you should be embarrassed, but decide to let what he said go without comment.

“Anyway, we have to be off!” You hug your aunt goodbye.

“There’s already a little more life in your eyes.” She says in your ear, rubbing your back.

Pulling apart, you see she has a genuine smile for you. “You may not know what you’ll find, but just the act of searching for something special is good for the soul.” She attempts to smooth out a flyaway lock of hair for you. “Tuck that into your heart, and remember to have a good time. You can always call me if you need anything!”

She lightly ushers you towards Sonia and Leon, who are moving inside the station to get tickets. You wave one last time and join them, a little misty eyed. Sonia shoulder bumps you lightly, giving a last minute call to her assistant at the lab. Leon is posing with some fans, looking more in his element. You don’t really know how you got here, with these people, but you’re not going to stop now.


	5. Rolling Fields

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to switch up my style a bit! I wanted to slow things down, spend more time describing things, create more tension. Also this ended up muuuuch longer. Better? Worse? Let me know what you all think!
> 
> This is definitely starting to lean into a Leon/Reader love triangle with Milo, but don't worry, the main focus will be on Milo/Reader soon! Just doing all the set up.
> 
> Angst alert, around some extreme self-doubt. Also a sex joke and things get slightly mature, but nothing explicit.

Soft, rhythmic thumps. There is something surreal about being pulled forward in space when your body isn’t moving. Groves of berry trees sway past the train window, and any attempt to follow one with your eyes makes your stomach do somersaults. There are Pokemon flitting between the greenery, always just outside your periphery. You haven’t decided if you liked trains yet, you were more used to the open-air ferry system of the islands and the motions of the sea. The light rocking of water against the ship felt like you were being swaddled by the earth. Like a lot of things in Galar, the train just seemed to be moving a little too fast.

A few, quick series of nails tapping on the table you’re leaning on pulls your attention back into the train car. It’s relatively quiet for a train, or at least you assume so since this is the first one you’ve ever been on. Because Leon got the tickets, both you and Sonia got to ride in one of the few private cabins. It wasn’t super fancy like you’ve seen in the movies, but functional enough to keep Leon from prying eyes and cameras.

Speaking of Leon, he was sitting the farthest away from you and Sonia as he could, building a little fort out of all your bags and equipment. He spent most of the ride so far with his arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed and brows pinched. You figured this wasn’t normal behavior by the amount of times Sonia looked over to him shook her head. Even when looking outside the window, you should tell she was bothered, or worried?, because her nail-tapping would speed up and she’d give a little huff. Which brings you to the current moment.

Both of her palms hit the table, not particularly loud but enough to warrant attention. Leon opened one of his eyes, with an eyebrow raise to accompany it.

“I think I need a little bit of a walk before I,” she looks to Leon, “say something daft.”

“Is everything okay?” you ask, concerned. She seemed agitated the entire ride, right after Leon told you both that you were riding in the cabin with him.

“Just a little antsy.”

Sonia rolls her shoulders one rotation backwards.

“Still thinking about what my grandmother said to me.”

She slides away from you and over to the door in a fluid motion.

“I’m thinking of checking up on the kids, they should be more towards the front of the train. Knowing Hop, he’ll drag Gloria off and into the Wild Area without waiting for us.” She shrugs with an expression that you interpret as ‘Hop will always be Hop.’

“Will you be okay stuck alone with this guy?”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Leon now has both his eyes open and fixes his posture.

Sonia smirks as she reaches for the cabin’s door, waving her other hand. “Oh nothing, nothing at all.”

You get a feeling she just enjoys getting a rise out of Leon. It makes you more curious about their past. But you could also tell she sensed tension between you two, or at least, coming from Leon whenever he was near you.

“Later, loves.”

Cool air rushes in as she opens and closes the door, prompting you to zip up your yellow hoodie. Leon mouth drops open a little in shock.

“You’re not actually worried are you? Being alone with me? N-not _with_ me, I mean, and not alone either-” He slides a palm over his his face. “Arceus, what is wrong with me?”

“Of course not.” Though at this point, you’re concerned for Leon given his incoherent mumbling. “Is something the matter?”

He looks down at his shoes, which he digs into the cabin’s floor, first the left and then the right. Reminds you of Hop when his parents scold him. You were going to break the silence, but then he took in a long breath of air, exhaled, and looked straight at you, golden eyes determined.

“I want to apologize.”

You’re struck by his sudden intensity. His hands move to his knees, gripping them as if he needed something to keep his balance.

“For what?”

His gaze falters a bit, but he looks back at you.

“I haven’t been acting… like the gentleman I should be, that I am, around you.”

It looks like that took every ounce of energy for him to say, because he bows his head immediately to avoid your gaze.

“I’m sorry, I hope you can forgive me!”

You blink watching his hat almost fall off.

“What do you mean?”

You have an inkling around what prompted this. The scenes in his room and outside Professor Magnolia’s lake house flash through your mind, which starts to make you red. He gulps a little looking back at you, also flushed.

“You’re going to make me say it out loud? Arceus, spare me…”

Leon looks like he wants to get up and pace, but whenever he moves, the luggage he’s stacked around him shifts, as if dependent on his support.

“This is… definitely going to make me sound like a jerk.”

Leon seems to be an expert at being able to look at you while at the same time avoiding eye-contact.

“You know how I’m this whole, Champion of Galar, right?”

You nod slowly, trying to figure out where he’s going with this.

“I don’t think your brother would let me go one day without making sure I understood this fact, yes.”

Now he looks like he’s pleading for mercy, readjusting the cap on his read.

“Right, well, remember, jerk alert-” His eyes widen, “Wait- no-”

_“Leon!”_

“I’m not a pervert I swear!” Leon is looking desperate.

“Calm down, it’s okay, you’re not a pervert.”

Maybe.

“Sorry, so, you know, with fame comes a lot of attention, especially-” He pulls at the collar of his jersey, “You know, attention. _Special_ attention.”

It is very difficult to contain yourself, both the utter confusion you feel and the laughter that’s starting to bubble up. Leon is really struggling and you find it both entertaining and alarming.

“Leon, I’m not entirely sure what you’re saying, but if you’re uncomfortable-”

“No. No, I’m going to say it. I’ve gotten this far, I can’t turn back now.”

He pulls in another breath, and slowly exhales.

“Ever since the celebrity, I’ve had people,” He’s getting flustered and pink is rising in his cheeks. “You know, flirt with me. Want to date me even though we’re basically strangers. And from time to time, I indulge, knowing it’s not going anywhere. Knowing it’s just because of my status.”

For someone who just basically admitted to having a steady stream of flings, Leon is easily embarrassed talking about the subject. You concentrate really hard on keeping a straight face and slowly nodding in understanding.

“And when you said to me you were looking for adventure, I thought you were meaning, you know,” he desperately doesn’t want you looking at him.

“ _Adventure_. Alone, with me.”

Okay you’re starting to lean towards laughing, what kind of schoolboy fantasies of intimacy does this guy have??

“So that’s why I was so forward with you, I thought that’s what you wanted! I only kissed you because of that, I’m so sorry.”

A small chuckle leaves your lips. “That’s the only reason?”

“I didn’t mean it like that! You’re-” Leon stops himself, still incredibly flustered. “Different. You’re very different from everyone around me. In a good way!”

You nod, allowing yourself to smile bashfully as he finally has the courage to look at your face.

“I can’t say I fully understand everything, but I accept your apology.”

“Thank Arceus.”

He leans back fully into his seat.

“It was wrong of me, to-” Leon gulps. “Do that without your consent. I won’t touch you ever again.”

“I mean you don’t have to go _that_ far.”

“Wait, you mean, you _do_ want me to-

The light from the outside vanishes, startling a yelp out of you. The cool bulbs set into the ceiling come into focus, and you being to realize the train entered a tunnel.

You hear a soft chuckle and a whisper, _“…that was kind of cute.”_

“I’m sorry?”

“Not trying to touch you, I promise!” Leon almost screams.

The door to the cabin suddenly flings open.

“You _fiend_.”

It’s Sonia, and she’s glaring at Leon. It’s his turn to yelp.

Maybe there is some aspect of Galarian culture you’re completely missing, because everyone in this country is crazy.

* * *

“BAAAAAH!”

Wild Wooloo rolled up and down the station, and in front of the train. Leon put himself between you and the sheep Pokemon so you could flee across the platform.

“The cheek of these Wooloo.” Sonia brushes off her coat, scowling.

You look around, seeing the station is covered in leaves and there are people sporting various camping gear.

“Is this the city?”

Leon eventually jumps past the ticket rails to avoid a herd rolling at him. He hands both you and Sonia your luggage.

“It’s the south end of the Wild Area. Looks like the train is going to wait here until the Wooloo scamper off. Who knows when that will be.” He shrugs his camping gear onto his back. “Might as well hoof it, we still have some time until the opening ceremony.”

Hoof it? Through the Wild Area?

“That’s going to take… days, isn’t it? We’ll have to… camp, and stuff?”

“You got it! Wanted an adventure, right?”

You regret ever saying ‘adventure.’ That word has been nothing but trouble.

Leon gives you his signature, confident smile, seemingly more in his element when he’s in public.

Sonia wraps and arm around your shoulder and gives you a light squeeze.

“Don’t fret, you’re going to have so much fun. It’ll be a walk in the park.”

* * *

Snow drifts downwards from moody grey clouds, building up on the outer layer of your clothing no matter how often you shake. Intentionally that is, because you’re also constantly shivering from the unexpectedly cold temperatures, having almost no warm clothing for snowy climates.

“A walk in the park.” You say through chattering teeth.

“Sorry hun, I should have checked the weather before we left.”

Sonia is busy fiddling with her phone trying to get a map up of the Wild Area while you still have good reception near the Meeting Spot. Both she and Leon slipped into warmer clothing while you shivered in your trusty new yellow sweater. You were going to make a comment about how Leon’s parka also had a cape, but he was doing everything to avoid your gaze.

Despite the temperature, the snow makes what you imagined to be a feral setting feel quite peaceful. There’s a soft crunch beneath your footfalls and the cheerful jingling coming from the tall grass reminds you a bit of the holidays. The light layer of white over everything creates beautiful contrasts with the dark wood and vibrant greens the snow covers. You take a wide view of the scenery, rubbing your arms to generate warmth.

From time to time, you catch Leon looking at you out of the corner of his eyes, especially when you attempt to warm yourself in vain. His hands open and close, like he wants to do something with them. But whenever you turn to regard him, he quickly looks in another direction.

Walking a few steps forward, you notice some unusual movement in the snow. You can’t really make heads or tails of it, because it seems like the snow is… shifting? You stop and really focus, trying to calm your body down from shuddering. That’s when you see…

Eyes?

Before you could process this information, you hear Leon yell your name, and two strong hands grip you and throw you to the ground. You feel a WHOOSH of something large fly past you, but you couldn’t see as you were face-down in the snow with something covering you.

“Bloody Onix!”

The sounds of a battle erupt with a draconic cry. You begin to pick yourself up, cursing a bit as you feel that the front of your clothes are soaked through from the snow.

“Haxorus, Iron Tail!” Leon is shouting, and that’s when you begin to piece together what is happening. Leon is squatting in front of you, close enough that his cape is shielding you from view of whatever was attacking. You’re close enough to feel his body heat, which makes you blush despite the current action. Feeling your movements behind him, he turns away from the fight.

“Are you okay!?”

You watch as his eyes travel from your flushed expression to the way his cape is wrapping around your shoulders and drawing your bodies close together. “I-”

“Leon, bloody concentrate will you!?”

Peering past Leon, Sonia has her Yamper in her arms on the other side of what looks to be a Pokemon made out of rocks, with remnants of snow covering it. A fearsome dragon-looking Pokemon is facing against it, which you assume is Leon’s. Your body shudders as the dampness creeps across your clothes, and all you can do for warmth is pull Leon’s cape further around your body. Closing your eyes, you can tell it’s not a particularly hard battle, and Haxorus was taking control of the battlefield and knocking the Onix out.

Sonia rushes over to you as soon as it looked like the Onix wasn’t getting up again. “Alright?” She helps you up, noticing how your clothes look wet. Wrapping an arm around you, she takes a quick around the area.

“We need to find a place to set up camp, could use a change of clothes and something warm to drink.”

Returning the Haxorus to her Pokeball after some congratulatory petting, Leon surveys the land. “The closest clearing is next to Lake Axewell, but given this weather, the winds coming off the water are going to be freezing.”

He begins to pull off his parka as he talks, looking at the map on Sonia’s phone in her hand. “If we can handle a longer walk, there should be a good spot further back away from the lake.” He points west from Meeting Spot. “Sonia, can you navigate?”

“Just like the good old days.” It’s not difficult to sense there’s layers to that comment.

Leon turns to you holding out his parka.

“Here put this on.”

You give into your first reaction, which is to blush. “I-I couldn’t, what about you?”

“Now’s not the time to argue.”

You haven’t seen him this calm around you before, slipping your arms into the sleeves. You’re starting to feel levels more warm already, and can’t really fight it.

 _“…this is what I should have done in the first place.”_ Leon whispers as he secures everything to you. You’re pretty sure Sonia caught some that, which only makes your face redder. She clears her throat.

“Let’s be off then?”

* * *

Hiking across the Rolling Fields in the snow wasn’t your idea of a fun time. Chill winds blew in from the direction of Lake Axewell, making Metapod hanging from trees sway in the air. Hail fell intermittently whenever you would pass too closely to the tall grass. It was clear how ill-suited you were to being outdoors next to best rivals Galar has ever seen. Though, it does make you curious about what happened to all of Sonia’s other Pokemon besides Yamper.

Leon brought out his Charizard, who walked between you two. Every time you seemed to close in on yourself for warmth, Charizard would gently exhale warm air near you. It isn’t lost on you that he began to do this more often when you would pet his head as thanks. You would take out your Wooloo, but you didn’t think you had the strength to carry him through the snow. Instead you watch the movements of Diglett not far off, popping up and down in search for something you can’t quite grasp.

As it begins to get dark, the party comes across the clearing Leon mentioned. It was tucked into the cliffs, where there was likely a cave system. However Sonia stopped in the clearing and surveyed the spot.

“This looks good enough, don’t you say Leon?”

He looks lost in thought, and when Sonia repeated her question, like it was a habit, his head snapped up.

“Yes! This is perfect, great job Sonia.” He smiled at her and she grinned back. “Let’s set up camp.”

Everyone got busy making camp. Though every time you tried to do something, Leon would step in and take care of it instead, asking you to mind the Pokemon. It was a bit frustrating, but instead you let out Wooloo and Yamper to join the other two Pokemon. You helped move rocks and wood lying about to create a level space to set up, Wooloo consistently tripping you up by rubbing up against your legs. The Yampers huddled together nearby where Charizard was breathing fire on logs to create a campfire.

“Fire’s ready!” You announce, petting Charizard again. “I’ll start cooking some dinner-”

“No, I’ll get it.” Leon is busy wrestling with setting up his tent as he says that.

“ _Neither_ of you are, I’m the cook here!” Sonia puts her hands to her hips next to her completed tent. “Hun, can you help this clown? He’s not good with directions, and is being too proud to ask for help.”

You hear grumbling, and as you walk over you can see his face is stubborn and flushed. Picking up the tent setup pamphlet, you begin to point out things to Leon. He slows down his struggling, and at some point just gives into following your directions. It’s clear that he has experience setting up camp, a muscle memory within him understands what to do. But whenever he seems distracted by something, things just go awry. Wooloo comes and snuggles up against your leg, prompting you to sit and let him crawl into your lap. He is a bit needy, but his fluffy wool really does add some warmth. It brings comfort as you realize Leon isn’t really being sociable with you.

Just as Leon is putting the final parts in place, Sonia calls you over for dinner. The Pokemon rush over, and you follow the sweet and savory smell.

“Sweet Sausage Curry, a Sonia specialty! I figured we could all use something filling~”

She spoons out servings for all the Pokemon, who eagerly dig in. Your stomach grumbles as Sonia passes you a plate, which you hand to Leon. He pauses and looks a bit confused before taking it. Shaking his head, he smiles that Champion smile and thanks you. Eventually both you and Sonia get your servings, and everyone sits around the fire.

The mood brightens as the sun sets and bellies get fuller, with Leon and Sonia telling stories about their camping adventures of the past. Their voices echo slightly off the cliff walls while your shadows dance across the clearing.

“And one time,” Sonia is laughing just in anticipation of what she was going to say. “Leon slept-walked out of camp, met a Gardevoir, and-”

“You _promised_ to never tell anyone about that!” Leon is completely red, looking like he’d lunge across the campfire to stop Sonia from speaking another word. She collapses in a fit of giggles and even Charizard seems to snort at Leon’s expense. “Not you too!”

When he hears you stifling laughter, Leon turns to you with a look of despair. “Don’t believe a word she says! Sonia is always threatening me to make it more embarrassing than it actually was!”

The two continue back and forth, and you enjoy the feeling of the Yampers and your Wooloo snuggled up against you. You doze in and out, eventually feeling a soft touch on your right shoulder. You jump a little, and notice that it's completely dark now.

“How about you hit the hay hun. You’ve had one bloody of a first day in the Wild Area.” Sonia’s hand slips to your back and rubs in circles. “You can sleep in my tent, who knows what Leon’s sleepwalking will do next.”

_“SONIA!”_

They go at it again as you get up, all the Pokemon around you whining with your movement. “Come on you all, if you want to cuddle you’ll have to come with me.” You remove Leon’s parka, handing it to Charizard before petting him once more. “Give that to him with my thanks, will you?”

Charizard nods dutifully, and the Yampers begin to nudge you towards Sonia’s tent. Leon and Sonia seem quite preoccupied with each other, so you just whisper a barely audible ‘goodnight’ and head to bed.

Thankfully your auntie packed you a sleeping bag, though it's a bit embarrassing since it's modeled after a Wooloo, with the down looking like the Pokemon’s wool. Your Wooloo snorted at it but was more than happy to cuddle into your chest after you crawled in. The Yampers nestled with each other at the small of your back. It was nice to be warm and feel good after a rough start.

It all feels like a whirlwind, since it was only yesterday that you decided to set out, not really knowing where you were headed. You took some comfort in Sonia seeming as lost as you were, but she seems pretty acclimated to striking out on her own and roughing it outdoors. But now that you’re here, and it all seems a lot more real, you wonder if you’re really up for all this. Can you really find your way in this new world? A fear that you’re too weak creeps up your chest.

As you begin to fall asleep, you hear Sonia and Leon carry on by the campfire talking, though it seems to have taken a more serious tone. You can’t really hear it all, but it’s hard to ignore it when some words jump out at you.

_“…say it…”_

_“…really hurt… just vanish like that?”_

_“…busy… Chairman…”_

_“Bullocks!”_

Sonia’s retort was loud and clear.

_“…scared, fine. Happy?”_

_“…don’t… for you, Arceus.”_

_“I’m… know what… sorry, Sonia.”_

There was quiet for some time, only the sound of the fire crackling and one of the Yampers huffing satisfied in their sleep. It was faint at first, but accompanied by some shuffling, you heard a particular sound you didn’t expect.

Kissing.

Your eyes widen realizing what you were listening in on. From outside your tent you hear a faint, sleepy sigh from Charizard, which seems to make them pause. There’s whispering, and then footsteps. You shut your eyes and still your breathing, pretending to be dead to the world and definitely not eavesdropping on people making out. The footsteps head over to Leon’s tent, and you hear the unzipping and zipping of its opening. Doesn’t take long for the hushed whispers to be replaced by sounds of intimacy.

You had a feeling Sonia wouldn’t be returning to your tent for the evening.

* * *

Despite falling asleep first, it seems like you were the last to rise. You’re awakened by the Yampers whining to get out of the tent, hearing movements around the campfire outside. You lean over and open up, both scampering out and running over to Sonia, who is starting to set up the fire.

“About time you sleepyheads woke up!” She pet them, yawning, with hair more frazzled than you’re used to seeing.

Your stomach has a stone of dread sitting inside it. Knowing you couldn’t avoid the outside world forever, you changed into new clothes and rolled Wooloo out of the tent.

“Morning, love.” Sonia addressed you cheerfully. You nodded back, trying to pretend to be sleepy when in reality, you didn’t feel like interacting with her. “I’m thinking we can have a light breakfast before packing up and getting out of this cold. I have some bread I could toast, but we could use some berries too.”

“I’ll go find some then.”

A perfect excuse to leave and clear your head for a bit.

“I’m coming with you!”

Or not.

Leon cheerfully jogs over to you, smiling a good morning. Seems like someone had a pleasant night. You reach into your tent to grab your bag and hoodie, slipping both on as he wishes you and your Pokemon a good morning.

You leave without really responding to Leon, just calling attention to your Pokemon so they came along with you. Walking away from camp, you scan the area to see if you can spot any berry trees. Leon talks your ear off about foraging tips the entire time, stopping by flowering bushes to collect honey, pointing out the mushrooms that are safe to eat. You indignantly refuse to smile at Leon feeding your happy Pokemon, no matter how cute it looks.

It doesn’t take long for Leon to notice your behavior and feel the tension coming from you. He tries to start conversations with you, and realizes that your short answers aren’t coming from sleep-deprived grumpiness but some other feeling. He gives you a concerned look, but doesn’t seem to push.

You both walk in silence for a bit, before you spot a berry tree nearby. Setting your bag down, you look up and see that the foliage is teeming with all sorts of berries. You push at the trunk of the tree, but it barely moves. Shove as you might, you can only get a small shake of the leaves above.

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

The question catches you by surprise.

“Yeah, I can’t seem to get any berries-”

“You know what I mean.”

His voice is serious, and it’s taking every bit of nerve you have to keep your focus on the berries. Finally one berry drops, and you treat it like it’s a jewel fallen from the sky.

“I just want to get breakfast.”

In a swift motion, Leon puts both his hands on the berry tree and shakes it. Berries upon berries fall to the ground, probably more than you could get in an hour. He turns back to you, and you’re unable to escape his golden gaze.

“There’s your breakfast. Now tell me, what is going on? Why are you acting like this?”

You pull in a breath, feeling the cold prick at the corners of your eyes as you hold back a sudden wave of emotion that welled up inside you.

“You’ve been avoiding me this whole time, why the sudden attention?” Even you can hear the scorn in your voice, though you aren’t fully aware of where it’s coming from.

Leon is taken aback by your response, trying to formulate something to say as you pick berries off the ground and place them in your bag.

“I’m just another distraction to pass your time, I guess.”

Sensing your distress, your Pokemon come up to you, and happily snack on the Oran berries in your hands.

“Until you move onto someone worthwhile.”

You feel like a fool believing in this adventure stuff. What are you even doing here? Why are you freezing your ass off out in the middle of the wilderness having no idea where to go?

“Don’t say that-”

Leon is interrupted by your Yamper giving a sharp yelp and being knocked over by surprise.

“Yamper!!” You rush over, and hearing a jingle coming from behind her in the tall grass nearby. “What was that?”

Soon the culprit appears, what looks to be… a floating ice cream cone?

“Vanillite.” Leon comments, untensing his arms and legs from their fighting position. “It looks like it wants to play.”

The Pokemon let’s out a jingle that sounds like a giggle, floating around clearly with a smile on its face, making you smile along with it. Yamper is not amused and barks aggressively.

Leon sees your expression as the Vanillite bounces around you and Yamper.

“Want me to catch it for you?”

“Why, because you think I’m weak?”

Leon looks stunned from your retort, not understanding where this emotion is coming from. And if you’re honest, you don’t either.

Yamper is advancing on Vanillite, and you begin to realize that its Taunting her.

“Yamper, Nuzzle!”

She is more than happily to oblige, stunning the ice cream Pokemon and following up with a Bite. You can tell the Vanillite is quite weak, only having the first skills it learns. But it persists, giving the battle its all even though it is clearly outmatched. You rummage around your bag to find a Pokeball, pulling it out and waiting for the right moment to throw.

The first attempt is a complete miss, the ice Pokemon is still swift enough to dodge. Yamper dutifully fetches the Pokeball and returns it to you. This happens a few more times, your aim is poor.

“I can-”

“No.” You shut Leon down before knowing what he was going to say. “I’m going to do this on my own.”

Yamper was panting hard, enough that mist formed around her mouth each time. But the Vanillite was also clearly exhausted, hovering closer and closer to the ground.

_There!_

You tossed the Pokeball, not as forcefully as you have been, but rather underhand, so it bopped Vanillite on top of its soft-serve head before emitting a flash of light. The Pokeball shook a bit, but it seemed like it gave in easily and accepted the comfort of the Pokeball. Petting Yamper and giving her a kiss on the head, you retrieve the Pokeball and bring it back to the berry tree.

“Good job!” Leon sounds genuinely happy for you, and watches on as you let Vanillite out to meet and greet with your other two Pokemon. They are all cute and friendly Pokemon, making you smile as they interact. Unfortunately, the air around the Vanillite is very cold, so it’s hard to hug it in this weather.

Returning all of your Pokemon to their Pokeballs, you shoulder on your backpack. Before you could walk off, a hand grasps your arm.

“I’m sorry.” Leon isn’t ready to let this tension go unresolved. “I don’t know what’s made you so mad, but clearly I messed up somehow. Please tell me how I can make it up to you…”

He pauses, and even though you’re not looking at him, you can tell he’s taking in a long breath and trying to center himself.

“I want to be a part of your adventure.”

Your mind goes back to when the both of you sat on that bench by the lake. A bitter taste forms in your mouth and you jerk forcefully away from his reach.

“Sounds like you were having _quite_ the other adventure last night.”

“You heard-”

Not letting him finish, you storm off away from Leon, tears hot in your eyes. You’re not really sure why you care so much, or even if you actually care at all. Maybe, you just wanted to be important to someone. Just once. Even for just a little.

You hear Leon calling out your name, but you ignore him, charging ahead. At this point you’re unsure what direction you’re going, but it doesn’t matter. Or at least, it doesn’t until you feel a low rumbling in the ground cascade towards you.

Without warning, you are tackled to the ground. The wind is knocked out of you, unsure of what just happened. You hear your name being called, but as you focus you notice that you’re in between two groups of Pokemon fighting. You were shoved by a mangy looking rabbit Pokemon, which you think to be a Diggersby, who has fists balled at the ends of its ear. It’s slamming its ear-fists to the ground around you, kicking up earth against the opponent it is facing, which looks like a large mound of hair with tusks. You recognize that to be a Piloswine, and know better to be in front of it when it charges.

It’s unclear what the reason of fighting is, but it’s resulted in a territorial dispute between a group of Piloswine with their Swinub brethren and a pack of Diggersby and their brood of Bunnelby. Scrambling up to your feet, you had to constantly dodge the charging tusk attacks of the Pilowswine and the earthquakes caused by Diggersby’s slamming. Given your lack of preparation for this scenario, you were thrown around quite a bit as the the battling Pokemon tore up this part of the Rolling Fields.

You could hear shouting, and could see on the other side of the battle was Leon, trying to get your attention. The Pokemon’s scuffle was blocking you from getting back to camp, and no matter how hard you tried, getting stuck in the middle of fighting would just get you impaled or pulverized.

Leon’s shouting is frantic, and you begin to realize that he doesn’t have any of his Pokemon with him. Looking at the size and strength of these Pokemon, you don’t think any of yours could help you carve a way through this battle. You’re just too

weak.

So you do the one thing you know best.

You run.

You turn away from the fighting Pokemon, away from Leon, from Sonia, away from every single thing that could judge you as the weak and aimless person you are. You hear more yelling from Leon, but you can’t make out the words. There’s only one word in your mind right now:

Run.

Run.

_Run._


	6. Dappled Grove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You run off deeper into the Wild Area, and encounter trouble! Will someone come to your rescue??

Pattering on leaves. Dripping from bark. The rain sings its own music from the canopy of the forest. Branches of the trees here reached out to one another, creating a secluded corner of the Wild Area. Mushrooms thrived in the damp, muddy floor of the grove and apples swayed further up in the wind. Unlike the wide open fields you just ran from, there were ponds and creeks, and reeds of tall grass lining small lakes. Songs from the Pokemon within them harmonized with the rain.

Opening your eyes, the world is sideways. As feeling returns to your body, you feel the cold, sticky mud against the left side of your face and body. When you attempt to rise from the ground, a dull, thudding pain vibrates down your front. You’re able to support your body weight with your arms, though your elbows feel like they could give at any moment.

Looking back, you see the raised root of a tree, and further into the distance, the border between the Rolling Fields and Dappled Grove. When it doesn’t seem like you’re being followed, you begin to pick yourself up from the ground. Spotting some of your things in the mud, you grab some stray Pokeballs and leave the berries you picked earlier for some lucky scavenger. It wasn’t long until you noticed your phone for its bright screen and, if you were to listen for it, constant low vibration. You wanted to leave it there, but your better judgement compelled you to pick it up and wipe it down. It wasn’t a mystery who was trying to get in contact with you, but you couldn’t think of two people you didn’t want to talk to more right now.

You slip the phone into your bag and scan your surroundings, pulling your soaked and muddy hair out of your vision. Despite hearing a chorus of Pokemon calls, you couldn’t see any in sight. They must all be hiding snug in nooks among the trees while it rained. Right now the best thing to do is to find some sort of shelter, so you can get dry. First you needed to get back to the cliffs, and then see if there any empty caves you could stay inside. After the rain stops, you can begin to make your way back to the train station along the southern border of the Wild Area, and head back to Postwick.

The vibrations of your phone against the contents of your bag is audible to your ear as you take a few steps into the grove. You’re not entirely sure what direction you’re going in, but you know you should hit the cliff walls _eventually_. Raindrops and the squishing of mud beneath your footsteps are all that accompany your scrambled thoughts of recent events. And your phone. constantly. going. off.

At this point you feel too deep into this to admit that you’re acting unreasonable. Sure, maybe you shouldn’t have dashed into the middle of a Diggersby vs Piloswine turf war, and sure, maybe running in the complete opposite direction of safety because of petty grievances was a little extra. You can’t really explain your reaction to knowing Sonia and Leon were rekindling their intimacy, but the way Leon treated you like the plague for the past day only to be back to his good ol’ Champion self after spending the night with her just felt _wrong_. You felt cast aside, like moment he realized you weren’t after his body, you were just a risk to his reputation.

Your feet stomped through the mud as your thoughts compounded upon themselves. Whenever you could hear your phone vibrating, begging for you to pick up, your movements became more erratic. Your brain recalls all the things Leon said to you in your closer moments, and you can’t seem to completely push them away. And that vibrating just gets louder, and louder, and-

A large splash erupted from your periphery, and a loud burst knocked you back screaming off your feet. Your ears rung and you felt dizzy, trying to get back up but stumbling. In front you was a creature with glowing red eyes and strange vibrating protrusions all over its body. You assumed it was a water Pokemon of some sort given that it was blue and came from the marsh you were passing by. You would check your Pokedex but your phone probably slipped to the bottom of your bag by now. Trying to look at it through the dim lighting of the grove, it was terrifying and making this constant, oppressive vibration noise. You didn’t need to pull out your Pokemon to sense it was strong, way more than you could handle.

You slowly backed away from it, and you began to notice small tadpole-like Pokemon hop out of the tall grass and around the larger one, shrieking high pitched trills that pierced your hearing. It seems like you walked a little too close to a nest of these Pokemon, so you were hoping if you just left everything would be okay. Turning and running, you put your all in getting away from the Pokemon so you can survive this disaster of a trip.

But you hear a rumbling, and before you know it a powerful cry yells out and you feel a sticky liquid hit your right leg. It immediately seizes up, causing you to fall and shout a curse out into the trees. Looking to your leg, you see muck covering it as the muscles convulse, making you scream as the Pokemon stalks towards you. You attempt to get up, but the pain of the Pokemon’s sonic attacks and losing control of your leg makes you fall forward again.

Is this it?

You don’t know why this Pokemon is so determined to hunt you. Crying out, you hear nothing. No one. Sonia’s shoulder bumps and hugs flash through your mind. Leon shielding you from the Onix. Dragging yourself away, you realize how much you don’t want things to end here. Despite everything, you _did_ have people out there, waiting for you. Wanting to know you’re safe.

The padding of the Pokemon’s footsteps pick up in speed, you try crawling faster but you can tell, it’s not enough. You look back just in time to see it lunge at you with its fist.

Never enough.

A bright light flashes between you and your assailant, rippling just inches from your face where it made contact with the punch attack. This knocked the Pokemon back, which stumbled in shock. It looked up in the distance behind you, from where you could hear foot steps.

“GIGA DRAIN!”

The Pokemon begins to glow green, which starts to surface on its skin as small globes of light. Then all at once, they shoot from it and back towards the voice, promptly causing the Pokemon to faint.

It was hard to process what just happened, your brain preoccupied a range of stimuli and concerns related to your safety. A headache sets in when you realize your ears have been ringing this entire time. There’s running and yelling coming towards you, but it hurts to concentrate on them. Rain continues to fall on your face. Your leg throbs.

Only makes sense that you pass out.

* * *

The first thing you notice is that it’s still raining. But instead of it falling on your face, you hear its rhythmic tapping on a fabric of some sort above you. As sensation begins to return to your body, you realize that you’re not lying in mud, but against your back is something padded. Something is vibrating…

Your eyes spring open and your breath quickens with the image of red eyes and vibrating skin in your mind. Instead of seeing the forest canopy, you find yourself inside a green tent. Turning your head hurts when you go too quickly, so you slowly look around and see your bag next to you, and noticed you’re lying on your sleeping bag. Confused, you rise up into a sitting position, rubbing behind your ears attempting to ease your headache. As you do, your right leg slips out in front of you, and you see that it’s been cleaned and dressed with a bandage. It feels numb but not as bad as it did before, and the camphoraceous smell implies someone applied medicine to your injury.

Speaking of someone, who brought you here? You look around and spot someone else’s camping gear, including a sleeping bag, first-aid kit, what looks like snacks for Pokemon, and a lantern hanging from a hook in the center of the tent. You don’t recognize any of it, meaning a charitable stranger must have saved you from that Pokemon.

It dawns on you that you’re still in your muddy clothing, but the mud that was on your skin and in your hair was gone. You spot a washcloth browned with mud on the floor by the first aid kit, and blushed thinking of someone touching you with such care. You decide to quickly change into new clothing before anyone returned. As you pull out your clothes from your bag, your phone lights up to show the countless amount of notifications you’ve gotten, all from Sonia’s phone. You begin to feel guilty, especially now that you encountered danger, but can’t bear to talk to them just yet.

Just as you pulled on fresh clothing, you hear heavy footsteps approaching the tent. You’re not exactly sure what to do, pretend to be asleep? Wave hello? Go out to meet them? What’s the proper etiquette of being put up in a stranger’s tent?

While weighing your different options, you hear the zipper to the entrance open, making you freeze up. Whoever it is, they are large, starting to frighten you a bit. But soon they stick their head in enough for the lantern light to glow on their face.

“It’s… you!?”

You see the wet but same friendly face of the man you met back at Route 1. Unruly peach-colored hair, eyes as green as Galar’s fields, freckles dancing across a boyish face. Fumbling since you still don’t know his name, you make room for him to enter.

“You’re awake!” He clambered in and quickly zipped the tent shut. His wide frame made the space seem smaller once he settled in. “Thank Arceus that you’re recovering.”

He has that smile on his face again, warm and gentle. Your cheeks heat up just imagining him carrying you back here to the tent and treating your wounds. It’s not hard to see the contours of his chest through his wet, white shirt, and the impression of mud against it where your head must have been. He begins to empty his pockets of a gnarled looking root that it seems like he dug up in the grove. Before he could explain anything, you leaned forward towards him on your left hand, looking him in the face as if committing it to memory.

“Please,” Your voice is a mix of trembling and dreamy, probably because you’re still fighting exhaustion. “your name. What is your name? I’ve wanted to know ever since we last met.”

The man pauses, taken aback at the sudden attention. His gaze shifts between each of your eyes, like he was struck with some sort of realization. It might have been a trick of the light, but his freckles seemed more pronounced and his cheeks a shade more pink.

“M-Milo, I’m Milo! Mighty rude of me not to introduce myself before, my apologies.” His eyes look away from you, like he was embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Milo.” You repeat his name to yourself, and smile at him, offering your name in return. “I’m so happy to see you again.”

He pauses for beat, as if he was expecting a certain reaction that never ended up coming. His face softened and he smiled back again.

“Looked like you were in a tad bit of trouble there for a second with that Seismitoad. Thankfully I heard ya and was able to make it over in time.” Milo’s eyes travel down to your injury. “How’s that feelin’?”

You pass a hand over your injured leg, your mind momentarily flashing to when that muck covered it. “It’s a little numb, but at least it’s not twitching anymore.”

Milo puts out his hand and shows you what he collected while you were unconscious. “My poppa always told me to make tea out of this here root if I was ever hurt in the Wild Area, and it’s never failed me. I’m gonna make you some and it’ll fix ya up, good as new!”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that for me.” Your gaze drops to the floor. “I’ve been enough of a burden already.”

“Hey now, chin up.”

You look back up at him and his soft expression.

“Don’t say that about yourself, looks like you’ve had quite the rough day. I’m happy I found you, if only so we get to cross paths again.” He pulls off his cap, running a hand through his wet hair in attempt to get it out of his face. That’s when you realize he’s just in from all that rain.

“Milo, you’re soaking wet! Don’t you think you should get out of those clothes?”

You look at him with some concern as he starts to turn a bit red. Is he getting a fever?

“I, ah,” His eyes look away from you, not at all able to keep his usual friendly eye contact. “I wouldn’t wanna m-make ya uncomfortable…”

It took you a second to get what he meant, mostly from the slight squirming he was doing while under your gaze. You briefly imagined him peeling off his wet shirt in front of you, eyes widening and definitely getting a full blush.

You scramble to turn around as fast as you can, looking completely away from him. “S-sorry! I can leave if you want! This is your tent.”

“Don’t be silly.” A chuckle accompanies his words, and he seems to rummage in his bag. “You’re fine right there.”

A quiet comes between you two, enough to hear the rain tap against the tent and the vibration of your phone in your bag.

“Your phone’s been goin’ off ever since I found you. Seems like someone’s quite worried.”

You turn to face Milo to respond, only to catch him trying to pull his head through a dry shirt. His well-built chest and torso were rather exposed, you could tell that he regularly does physical work to have that physique. Your eyes can’t help but notice he has some freckles on his shoulders and in the center of his chest. You felt a wave of heat travel through your body as you quickly looked back away.

“O-oh do you think so?”

“Are you not gonna check?”

He continues to rustle around, and you have a permanent blush trying to not think of him changing his shorts. You attempt thinking sobering thoughts, about the amount of worry Sonia and Leon must be feeling right now, _not_ if his freckles trail all the way down his body.

You let out a long breath after pausing to think of what to say.

“Milo I…” Your voice trembles and you can feel the emotion rising to your eyes. “I messed up. I really just… made a mess of things.”

Putting your hands to your face, you try to calm your breathing, but it doesn’t seem to help much.

A gentle weight places itself on your shoulder.

“May I?” Milo asks softly.

Nodding, you turn to him, rubbing at your face as he lightly rubs your shoulder, now in dry clothing with a small green towel hanging from his neck.

“You always seem to catch me at my low moments, I must seem like such a bummer.”

“I don’t think that at all. Not one bit.”

You look at him through your hands and misting eyes, and he has that genuine, reassuring expression. You try to smile, if only to show that you appreciate the positive energy he is sharing with you.

“C’mon, you can tell me all about it.” He turns to a small gas stove, which he must have brought out while he fished for his new clothes. It was big enough to hold a small kettle, which he poured water in from a canteen. It also looked like he had a paring knife and shallow bowl set next to him. “I’ll prepare your tea while you do.”

You’re not really sure where to begin, and you don’t necessarily want to gossip about Leon and Sonia to Milo. In a way, you didn’t want to disturb the gentle warmth he radiated.

“Well, after I met you, I decided to take Wooloo on an adventure.” Milo would look up and nod every once in a while as you spoke, just to show you he was still listening while peeling and cutting the roots. “My cousin, Gloria, she just got her first Pokemon. So did her neighbor friend, and they both were determined to enter the Gym Challenge. I figured, if someone so young could set out into the unknown, why can’t I? It was a good excuse to get out of Postwick and see the rest of the country. I didn’t know really what I was doing- well, I mean, I _still_ don’t know what I’m doing, but I figured, I had I fight my fear of failing and just try.”

Saying all that out loud reminded you of how you were planning on returning to Postwick. Was that still the best thing to do?

“It’s brave of you to step outside of your comfort zone. You should be proud of yourself!” Milo regards you with another smile, lifting the top of the kettle to check that the water was boiling. Satisfied, he carefully slid the chopped root into the kettle with the edge of his knife and replaced the lid.

You feel a bit bashful. “ _Are you always this encouraging to everyone?_ ”

In your mind it was supposed to be a whisper, but Milo clearly heard you given his stammering. “N-no, it’s just, y’know, the nice thing to do! It’s part of my j-” He’s clearly blushing, and you can tell he’s trying use the towel to hide the color in his cheeks.

Milo’s reaction makes you chuckle a bit, it’s satisfying to see that he’s not completely composed and measured all the time.

“Anyway!” Is that a bit of a pout you see? “I guess you made it out here because you’re on your way to Motostoke for the opening ceremony? Are you joining the challenge too?”

His eyebrows raise a little as you shake your head.

“Honestly, I don’t really know much about the Gym Challenge. I don’t think I’m really that strong, or if I’m any good at battling or training Pokemon. It’s not that fun seeing them get hurt… But I do like spending time with them though! With Wooloo, and Yamper, and now Vanillite. I feel they all want to be with me, like they just know I’m someone they like.” You say that last part a little quieter. “And when I set out with new friends, and new Pokemon, all I could think about was the memories we would make together.”

That faint smile returns to Milo’s lips as he tips the kettle, pouring the tea into two ceramic tumblers the color of sage. “Sounds wonderful to me.” He slowly picks up one of the cups by the rim and moves it towards you. It’s a wonder how delicate his hands are despite their size. “Careful now, it’s hot.” You take it from him, brushing fingers with him as you do. If he noticed you blushing from that, he doesn’t show it. “It’s quite bitter, but it’ll heal ya up right quick, I promise!” He picks up his tea and gestures it towards you. “To good health!”

For a few moments all one could hear was the rain and the both of you blowing on your tea to cool it down. When you heard more vibrating, you reached into your bag and set it to silent before returning to the task at hand.

Milo looks between you and your bag a few times. “You sure you don’t wanna answer it?”

“I will have to eventually, and when I do it’ll make me sad.” You blow on your tea a couple more times. “I’d rather enjoy this moment with you right now.”

He looks down towards the tea in his lap, enough for his cap to cover his face. “I’m enjoyin’ this moment with y-you too.”

It’s your turn to offer him a smile. “Milo?”

“Y-yes??” He looks up to you, seeming a bit distracted.

“Do you believe in fortune-telling?”

Milo is caught off-guard with that question, tilting his head as he tries to puzzle out what you mean. “Hmm, well, my Gran reads my tea leaves whenever I visit. There are times I think my Wooloo’s sleeping arrangements can predict the weather. And my family gives each other good luck charms as gifts all the time. So a little I suppose!”

You reach into your bag, feeling around for something in particular. “I talked to a fortune-teller before I left on this trip, and she offered to read my fortune. I wanted to know what my adventure was going to be like. Know what she said?” Milo tilts his head again in curiosity when you look to him. “That I’m going to find love when I least expect it.”

“R-really?” His green eyes blink a few times as he processes what you just said so forwardly. “Ain’t that somethin’…” Milo leans into his towel again. “Didn’t know someone could go on an adventure lookin’ for love like that.” He desperately tries to busy himself, deciding to refill your cups with tea as he avoids eye contact.

Your hand finally finds what’s you’re looking for, and you pull out a bundle of sticks wrapped in a worn silk scarf. “I do a bit of fortune-telling myself. Or really, I like to do some self-reflection.” You place it between the two of you and unfold the silk, letting the small stalks roll out a bit. “These are yarrow sticks.”

“Yarrow, huh.” He rubs his chin, intrigued.

“It’s a bit complicated to explain, but you can get messages through grasping the sticks and counting the amount you have. After you go through it a few times, it indicates special symbols that will give you your fortune.” You look up to Milo, who is giving you his attention and looks mystified. “As thanks for saving me, can I read your fortune?”

He nods eagerly. “Only if you wanna, of course! You don’t owe me anythin’.”

You smile again and begin the process, closing your eyes, picking up a bunch of the yarrow, then counting them. “This does take a bit, how about you tell me a story? What are you doing out here in the Wild Area?”

“Well,” Milo considers his words. “Mostly for trainin' really. Thought I could use some extra practice with my Pokemon. Been swamped with work and haven’t had as much time for battlin’.”

“So you’re not just a Wooloo rancher, you’re also a Pokemon trainer?”

You’re not looking up at him, but you could tell Milo was stumbling over what to say.

“Th-that’s right, yeah. And with the Gym Challenge starting up ‘n all, there’s gonna be a lot more fightin’ ‘round these parts. The Wooloo have been hoggin’ all my attention lately that my other Pokemon are gettin’ a tad jealous.”

“I can imagine Pokemon and people alike fighting for your attention. You have that kind of aura.”

“I-is that so?? I’m not sure, just a regular ol’ lad here. Nothin’ special!”

You find his consistent modesty rather charming. It’s not hard to imagine Milo’s genuine nature attracting a lot of people. He must have his hands full.

Looking up to him for a second, seeing his gaze cast down to his fidgeting fingers, you reply simply with “I’ll have to disagree with that.” You’re not entirely sure what’s going on with him, but for a man of his size he tries to hide himself often. You enjoy his reactions and earnest manner, which makes you want to get to know him better. “Are you ready for your fortune?”

“Yes!” He says maybe a little too eagerly, staring down at the different piles of sticks. “So you arranged ‘em into piles of different amounts. And they all line up to mean somethin’?”

You nod and stare intently, counting the different lines and trying to remember your studies. “It describes your current situation, a catalyst for change, and how that will influence the future.”

He nods some more, looking up and down the row of piles.

“It looks like… right now, you’re going to be a part of a gathering. Where you’re a leader of some sort.”

Milo fumbles the cup in his hand, panicking a little trying to catch it and not splash tea all over the place.

“Is everything alright??” You ask, alarmed at the sudden reaction.

“Y-yes, sorry, I just wasn’t expectin’,” He gulps. “this to be so precise ‘n all.”

You give him a bit of a puzzled look and he rubs the back of his neck with an apologetic smile. Maybe it’s better to let him tell you the details on his own time.

“Hmm, well, the emphasis is on feeling tasked to bring people together. But eventually, that will change.”

Milo leans in some, curious to hear what you have to say and amazed these simple sticks could conjure up such meaning.

“It seems like you’re being indecisive about something, and that’s creating confusion. The people around you are expecting more action, but you’re unsure of your social standing.”

He doesn’t say anything, but the intense look in his eyes tells you that the reading is really sinking deep. This is the first time you’ve seen him look so serious.

“Because of that, it looks like you will follow a new path, or really, a new person. While it seems like you should be the one leading, you have to learn what it’s like to let someone else take the lead for you. The main piece of advice is: be completely open and sincere. Though it can be tough, that is the best way to navigate your relationships during this change.”

Milo seems to be struck by the message you delivered. You allow a few moments to pass, folding your hands in your lap as he contemplates the meaning.

You hear a buzzing noise of a Rotom Phone, but you know it’s not yours. Milo sits up and looks you in the eyes. “Thank you for this, it was a wonderful gift. Plenty food for thought.” He reaches into one of the pockets of his camping bag. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to check this.”

Nodding, you gather all your yarrow back up and bundle it with the silk it came in. You’ll have to remember to thank your auntie for putting this in your bag, it’s your favorite keepsake of your grandmother’s.

Milo is scrolling through something on his phone with a faint smile on his face.

“Good news?” You ask, putting the sticks back into your bag.

“I just got sent these!” He shows you his phone with what looks like pictures from a photoshoot. A striking woman is in all of them, posing confidently in different swimwear outfits. She's clearly gorgeous, must be a model for fashion magazines. “It’s my girlfriend Nessa, isn’t she so cool?”

Oh.

You start to feel embarrassed, as all the attention you were getting from Milo made you feel a little special. But you should have caught on by now that it’s likely he’s attentive to _everyone_. That’s just the kind of guy he is.

“She’s beautiful, what a lucky guy you are!” It’s unclear how sincere you sounded, but you hoped it was enough. For the second time today, you’re not sure why you’re feeling as strongly as you do. Milo, at least, seems oblivious to the emotional rollercoaster you’re on, so you’re able to small talk some more before he suggests both of you going to sleep.

“We can begin hiking towards Motostoke in the mornin’, should only take us about a day or so more travel. Then you can meet back up with your cousin and see her in the openin’ ceremony!” He explained as you both slide into your sleeping bags. “Nessa’ll be there too, I hope you get to meet her!”

You turned your back to him as he puts out the lantern. For some reason, you’re not as excited as he is to arrive in Motostoke. A few moments pass in silence before you find what you want to say.

“Thank you for saving me Milo. I know you just think it was the right thing to do, and it was nothing but… It means a lot to me. I hope to be able to be there for you when you need help.”

There are some shuffling sounds, what you guess to be Milo shifting in his sleeping bag. You feel his gaze from behind, but he doesn’t make any moments towards you at all.

“You already have been.”

You both wish each other goodnight. It took you a bit longer to fall asleep that usual, even with how exhausted you were, because Milo’s presence was nearby. He kept shifting around too, but since your back was towards him, you could only speculate why. The rain continued to beat against the tent, eventually lulling you into a deep sleep.

* * *

A soft humming weaved among the sound of rain, guiding you into the waking world. Your eyes slowly opened and take in the scenery, trying to remember where you are. At first the man nearby you seems like someone from a dream, but you remember it’s Milo. He’s in his own world peeling and slicing apples, balancing his phone on a knee and every once in a while looking to it as he arranges the fruit on plates. He has such a boyish look but a wise air about him, and you find the contrast appealing. It’s clear Milo has such consideration to his strength, and pays careful attention to how he interacts with the world. Just makes you want to get to know him more.

You must have shifted around or had your breath pick up, because Milo looked over and noticed you were awake. He offers you a smile.

“Mornin’ sunshine.”

A part of you flutters a bit hearing that. Drawing yourself up into a sitting position, you let out a short yawn. “Morning~”

“I didn’t wake you, did I? Jus’ thought it would be nice to have a little bite of somethin’ before we left.” While he did have a bit of softness to his voice, it seemed like he was wide awake.

“Not at all.” You were going to tease him about his singing, but decided you should be more cordial with a taken man. “What’s cookin’?”

“Just some apples from the grove!” He hands you a plate of apple slices after you move from your sleeping bag and over towards him. “It’s best to save the real cookin’ for when we’re able to get outta this rain and set up a campfire.” He takes a bite out of an apple slice, chewing as he thinks through something. “How’s your leg feelin’?”

You move around and bend your leg. “It’s definitely feeling better! Still feels a little numb at times, like my leg has fallen asleep. But your magic seems to be working!”

After chatting a bit more over apples, you both get ready to leave and break down Milo’s tent. He’s able to locate a path that would take you both northeast through the Dappled Grove towards West Lake Axewell.

Soon into your walk, it’s clear that your leg isn’t back up to 100% capacity. While you didn’t really feel any pain, you noticed it didn’t have the quickest reaction time, leading you to stumble a few times whenever there was uneven footing. You try to play it off as being clumsy, but Milo notices what’s going on fairly quickly. He moves to your right side and extends his left arm towards you.

“Here ya go, hold onto me for support.”

It is shocking to you how he says this with a completely straight face, not thinking about how your skin is going to touch his, how you’ll feel each other’s body heat as you inevitably press up against him, how to a stranger in the distance it’ll look like the both of you are-

Before the moment can completely pass, you slip your hand around his bicep, completely flushed. As you walk, each time you feel like you’re going to stumble, you’re able to shift your weight into him. His sturdy build barely moves whenever you do, he even whistles a bit during the quieter moments of your journey. It’s like all of this is natural to him.

It’s still raining in the Dappled Grove, but it starts to ease into a drizzle along your journey. Eventually you both come across a serene pond surrounded by large, flat rocks. Milo helps you down on one of the rocks to rest, and says he wants to scout the rest of the area to make sure it’s safe. “There’s Bewear ‘round these parts, and that’s a critter I wouldn’t want us to run into.”

He leaves you with the quiet sound of rain hitting the pond next to you. The ripples are almost calming, hypnotizing even. Leaves and flower petals float along the surface. As you look, you start to notice that the leafy pads of the pond are actually Pokemon, whose blue bodies are underwater. There’s a group of them floating with each other on the far end of the pond, squirting streams of water at each other and making what you assume to be giggling noises. They didn’t look to be putting too much effort into dodging each other, rather allowing the force of the water sprays push them toward and away from each other. After your encounter with the Seismitoad, you can’t help but smile at seeing the more playful side of Pokemon.

Until a stream of water hits you straight in the face.

You sputter a bit, surprised because this didn’t come from the group you were watching, but a lone one hanging by your side of the pond. It giggles shyly at your reaction.

“Well two can play at that game miss!” You grab your water bottle, take a swing, and squirt back at the Pokemon. Yours was weaker and smaller, but she still let out noises that made it seem like she was entertained. You both went back and forth with your antics until you heard a soft chuckle nearby from behind you.

“Havin’ fun?”

You jump a little at Milo’s voice, and feel your cheeks heat up knowing he probably watched you act silly for bit there. He settled down next to you on the edge of the pond, offering a finger for the Pokemon to brush against.

“Do you know what kind of Pokemon this is? I don’t think I’ve seen any in Alola.” You smile at how naturally she seems to warm up to Milo.

“It’s a Lotad! Very calm and sweet Pokemon. I train with one of its evolutions sometimes.” He smiles a bit as she floats a bit in a circle. “Alright we should go now. How ‘bout you go swim with your friends?”

The Lotad gives a look to the others and then looks away, floating towards you instead.

“Aww it looks like she’s feeling a bit left out. I know how that feels.” Lotad begins to crawl out of the pond next to you.

“Seems to me that Lotad has taken a shine to ya!” Milo fishes out a green bean from a bag pocket and hands it to you.

You smile as she allows you to feed her. “I really enjoy it when a Pokemon seems to pick me out. It’s nice to be noticed.”

Milo shifts his weight, but doesn’t say anything.

“I wish there was a way to catch a Pokemon without battling it.”

“Sometimes you can!” Milo pulls out one of his Pokeballs. “You see, all that matters is when this button here,” He gestures to the knob at the front. “presses against the Pokemon you wish to capture. If the Pokemon accepts your ownership, then it’s easy as pie and they’re snug in their Pokeball! But most Pokemon like bein’ free, so you have to weaken them first in order to catch ‘em.” He hands you the Pokeball. “How ‘bout you see how she feels?”

You look to the Lotad and hold the Pokeball out to her. “What do you say? Would you like to come along with me? There’s a whole bunch of friends who’d be happy to meet you!”

The Pokemon takes one final look at the others deeper in the pond, and then nudges at the Pokeball. With a flash it opens and soon the Lotad is in the ball. With a couple light shakes, the ball clicks and it seems like she’s ready to be one of your Pokemon.

“Wow you’re right!” You hold up the Pokeball, amazed that it happened. “I always thought you had to take Pokemon by force.”

“Usually, that’s the case.” Milo has his hand at his chin, looking like he’s really thinking about something. “But it looks like you naturally attract Pokemon! I noticed that with the Wooloo I gave you. Technically, we’d have to do something more official, like me releasing and then you capturing him. But he just went right over to you and accepted you as his trainer.”

You giggle a bit. “That one is still attached to my hip, I’ll be surprised if he ever wants to do anything but cuddle.” Sliding the Pokeball into your bag, you shoulder it on and stand up from where you were lounging. “I bet he’s going to be so happy to see you!”

Milo smiles as he lends out his arm again, which you take. His demeanor hasn’t changed at all, nothing is awkward about how he is around you. When you try to imagine Leon doing the same thing, it’s like he would get hives and pass out from so much physical contact with you.

“It looks like the coast is clear for the rest of the way outta here. And the rain lets up in the direction we’re headed.” You’re reminded that it’s still drizzling as water collects and drips off the edge of his cap. “I’m sure you’d like to be near a warm cozy fire right about now!”

“With you? Of course.”

It’s your turn to smile when Milo quickly looks down at his shoes and mumbles a sort of thanks.

You feel like, maybe, this adventure is worth going on after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought I was gonna give you a relationship that easy huh? I hope this is a good taste for what's to come! Let me know how you enjoyed it. Do you like how I write Milo and your interactions?
> 
> Also, the fortune-telling in this chapter is inspired by the I Ching originating from China. It's not a full, complete, or accurate description of it, but I loved how it related to Milo's Japanese name. I actually consulted the I Ching for this reading, and I put in what I drew and what I thought it meant. Love a bit of randomness for creativity!


	7. West Lake Axewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are developing in the Wild Area! But it's just a preamble for all the things yet to come. Setting up more dynamics, I'm really interested to see how this evolves~

The first thing you notice is how incredibly _quiet_ it was. If you were next to a body of water in Alola, it was almost certainly the ocean, rolling in from the distance, rhythmically crashing against the shore. As you look to the gigantic lake, its stillness shook you. Underneath the overcast sky it was almost eerie, with the only movement being the occasional water Pokemon breaking the surface. Your body wanted to shiver, but it’s wasn’t really that cold, just grey and silent. The breeze seemed to rustle the tall grass more than wild Pokemon.

“Quite the sight, huh?” Milo was looking out at the lake also as the both of you approached it. “One of the few flat areas in Galar, you can see straight across.”

He was right, though you can’t really make out much given the fading light and how cloudy it is. But you do see the walls of a large city, making you pause a bit. You forgot that civilization existed for a while, what with all the dangers of the Wild Area. Who lets kids, much less anyone without experience, just waltz in here?

“Is that…?”

“Yep, that there’s Motostoke! The city gates are pretty much on the opposite side of the lake from us.”

So close, yet so far. You let out a little sigh.

“You alright? Leg botherin’ ya?” The concern in his voice creates a funny feeling in your stomach.

You put out your leg and rotate your foot in the air. “I think it’s fine, it hasn’t gotten worse at least. It’s more that I haven’t done camping and hiking like this in my entire life. So to get so much of it all at once has been quite the experience.” To put it lightly.

“Definitely havin’ an adventure, aren’t ya?” He offers a smile, because of course his first instinct is to lighten the mood. And it’s nice, you enjoy it.

“You can say that again!”

Milo scans the path in front of you. “I know we’ve been goin’ at it all day, but if we can cross that bridge over there,” He points out to a large wooden bridge that spans the skinniest part of the lake. “and then set up camp, Motostoke is reachable tomorrow.” Milo looks back to you, still concerned. “What do ya think?”

Nodding, you shift the bag on your back to sit more comfortably. “Sounds like a plan! Thanks so much for being my guide Milo, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He looks away, pink tufts of hair blocking his expression from view. “Oh it’s nothin’…” He mumbles out, among other indiscernible words.

The both of you maintain idle chit-chat along the way, mainly you pointing at a Pokemon you don’t recognize and Milo telling you what he knows about it. You get the sense that Milo is a bit of an introvert, and that silence without the pressure to talk is something that comforts him. He fumbles over his words often, but you find that charming. He seems preoccupied with trying to say the right thing, and the right thing tends to come naturally, except when you catch him off-guard. It’s hard not to enjoy watching him get flustered over little things.

As you draw closer to the bridge, you notice that the amount of tall grass in the area is increasing. There’s a clear path forward, but you feel a bit uneasy. Like someone, or something, was watching you. Rustling in the tall grass picked up the further along you went, and you instinctively grasped Milo’s arm. You had been walking without his support for a while now, so Milo jumped a bit in surprise.

“Milo, something is stalking us in the tall grass.”

“H-huh?” When you look over, his head is turned in the opposite direction, like he was avoiding something.

“Wait, what’s the matter? Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m f-fine! Jus’ dandy!”

“Why won’t you look at me? Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothin’! Don’t-”

“PAN!”

A small figure dashed out of the tall grass and right in the path of you and Milo. You actually recognized this one, it was a Pancham. She began to execute a series of martial arts moves, not attacking either of you but clearly it was a show of force. The Pancham ended with a dramatic and aggressive pose, shooting her most intimidating glare at you.

“CHAM!”

Moments pass in silence until you can’t handle it anymore.

You begin to giggle. “It’s _adorable_.”

The Pancham is clearly shocked at your reaction.

Milo smiles and rubs the back of his neck. “She’s a cutie pie that’s for sure.”

Her head hangs in shame. It seems like the Pokemon really thought she really had the upper hand here.

You walk over and squat down in front of her. “Hey now, don’t be sad! Just because you’re adorable doesn’t mean you’re not also very cool and strong!”

“Pan…?” The Pokemon’s eyes looked up to you, glistening.

“You’re the most fearsome Fighting Pokemon I’ve met in Galar!” Granted, this is the _first_ Fighting-type you’ve met since you arrived, but she didn’t need to know that.

Pancham’s paws went to her hips and she confidently posed with that leaf in her mouth. You slowly extended your hand, and as you didn’t feel like she meant any harm, pet her on the head. She couldn’t help but smile and nuzzle into your hand.

“Something tells me you’re in the mood to play, am I right?”

The Pokemon nods before turning to the side and shadowboxing some more.

“How about this: if you can guide us across this scary bridge,” You gesture to your next destination. “I’ll let you battle with my Pokemon while we set up camp. And I’m sure Milo’s would love to make some new friends too, right Milo?”

You look back to Milo, who is looking down to you with a smile. This smile felt different from his usual, though you couldn’t really pinpoint why.

“You betchya! I have a few achin’ to have some fun.”

“What do you say? Will you help us out? We could use a brave Pokemon like you.”

If the Pancham still had a bruised ego, that was yesterday and now is a brand new day. She turned around and marched towards the bridge, looking about for any dangers to quell.

You rose from your low position, but must have struck a weird angle doing so because your injured leg felt weak. Stumbling and giving out a quick yelp, you felt a sudden pair of hands on your torso.

“Easy there now.” Milo helped you stand. “Leg still actin’ up?”

His hands were both gentle and firm as they helped you balance, and you were definitely blushing feeling him so close.

“Th-thanks Milo.” The Butterfree inside you danced. “It’s not so bad. I’m sure some rest will do it good.”

Eventually he lets you go when it seemed you were stable, and guided you forward behind the Pancham with a light palm on your back. It impressed you how he acted this way so naturally. Not that you were a cold person who ignored others in peril. But it seemed his body just moved like a reflex whenever someone was in need.

“It’s amazing how well you handled that Pancham.” Milo said it more to himself than you, like he was musing about something. “If you don’t end up a trainer, I could see ya as a great Pokemon breeder.” You’ve never considered the possibility before. “We have a Nursery right by Turffield, you should visit sometime!”

“Oh? Is Turffield where you’re from?”

“Born n’ raised!” He beams with pride. "I miss it each time I have to travel. Quite peaceful, and the folk are humble and kind. It may not be a big fancy city but, it's home."  
  
It isn't long until you all make it to the bridge. The Pancham makes an exaggerated scouting motion, as if trying to scope out any enemies. Satisfied with the safety of the bridge, she waves the two of you to follow her.  
  
The bridge itself feels sturdy, which is a relief because it's quite long. You can see from here that Lake Axewell is full of powerful looking Pokemon, and you'd rather not meet any by falling in. Crossing the bridge went by rather uneventfully, mostly Milo sounding homesick through how he described Turffield to you, and Pancham turning back to look at you both, as if she really did feel responsible for ensuring your safety.

You realized this was the most Milo has talked without prompting since you both met, bubbling with enthusiasm when you asked him questions about his hometown. It’s almost like you finally found the thing that let down his walls a little bit. It was easy for Milo to come off as polite and well-mannered, but before now you had a creeping fear he was just being nice because that was the normal thing to do.

“Now you have to come n’ visit. All my Wooloo will love ya.”

But this made you feel a little better.  
  
Once across the bridge, the colors of dusk were full in the sky. Thankfully it was easy enough to find a clearing nearby to set up camp. You let out your Pokemon to play with Pancham, only to have Wooloo and Yamper tackle to you the ground, giving you their excited and excessive versions of affection. Between your fits of giggles, you realize that your Pokemon probably felt your distress, but you left them in your bag and they were unable to get out.

“I missed you all too, I’m sorry it’s taken so long for you all to come out- ack, Yamper! Not in my mouth!” You can’t help but laugh as you sit up and hug your excited Pokemon. “And don’t forget to acquaint yourselves with Lotad!” The two scamper over to Vanillite and Lotad, who are chatting. You notice your Pancham guide acting a bit bashful to the side. “Now don’t be shy, everyone’s friendly! You all, make room for a new friend!” You gently push her towards your Pokemon, who let her join in.

The sound of opening Pokeballs draws your attention to your left, where you see three Pokemon floating around Milo. Two of them are the same species, though one seems incredibly stronger than the other. He’s gently petting them and whispering hellos.

“Go on, introduce yourselves.”

They ride the breeze over to you, giggling and twirling around you. These must be native to Galar, or at least missing from Alola’s ecosystems, because you’ve never seen them before.

“This redhead here is Gossifleur,” Milo began, anticipating your question. Gossifleur spun as if on cue. “and these two elegant cotton balls are Eldegoss.” Both bowed towards you. The Gossifleur and one of the Eldegoss went over to join the other Pokemon, who were starting to play. “This one gave that Seismitoad a what-for when you were in trouble.” Made sense, he seemed way more experienced and skilled than any of the other Pokemon present.

You smiled and bowed as well. “I am in your debt. If you ever need me to sneak you treats past Milo, just give me the word.”

“H-hey now…” Milo put his hands to his hips as the Eldegoss twirled and giggled some more.

The two of you began to set up camp while the Pokemon romped and battled with each other. You were kind of relieved that your Pokemon could fight without direction, calling out orders in battle felt weird. If your Pokemon could fight more instinctively, that would would help out in future encounters.

First you helped Milo get his tent up, which his elder Eldegoss rested on top of the moment you finished. Then you looked around for sticks and dried up driftwood, since this area had less trees than the others you’ve camped at so far. You spot Milo squatting down at the coast of the lake and pulling up roots of some sort. Eventually you make it back to camp and begin stacking the wood, and Milo returns with what looks to be vegetables just washed in the lake.

“So for dinner, I’m thinkin’ I’ll-”

“Oh no no.” You interrupt, taking the roots from him. “You have been working so hard taking care of me. Let me do something for you.”

This catches Milo by surprise, which makes him a bit flustered. You realize that he does a lot so naturally that it must rattle him when something unexpected happens.

“But I don’t m-mind! You’re hurt ‘n all.”

“How about you start the fire, then check in on the Pokemon and make sure everyone’s playing nice?”

He blinks a few times before showing you a bit of an embarrassed smile. “M’kay, only if you promise to holler if you need help.”

“Promise.”

You borrow Milo’s paring knife while he takes out some flint for fire-making. Along with the roots you have mushrooms that you picked in the Dappled Grove and the berries that survived the trip from the Rolling Fields. You bring the root up to your nose and smell it, immediately jerking it away when you get a strong pungent, bitter smell.

“I can go find something else if you want-”

“Milo.”

He looks a little startled. “Y-yes?”

You see that the fire is growing and should be fine for cooking in due time. You point over to where the Pokemon are hanging out. “Go play.” Milo almost scrambles over to the group, and you smile a bit as they cheer and involve him into their activities. You can hear some giggling from behind you, likely his Eldegoss still perched on the tent.

Turning back to the ingredients in front of you, it’s likely the meal will have to be centered around the pungent root and mushrooms. The root will have to be peeled and well-grilled to begin tempering the bitterness, meaning you will likely grill the mushrooms as well. They would be okay together, but need a little more balancing… You sift through the berries in your bag until you find what you’re looking for: persim berries. Cooking this into the roux of the curry is bound will downplay the bitter elements of the root and allow the mushrooms to shine a bit more.

Grabbing a pot Milo brought with him, you head down to the lake. Milo looks like he’s about to say something to you, but the Pokemon tackle him for his attention. You fill it with water and return it to the fire, beginning prep work as it begins to boil. You put in the rice and eventually make the curry with persim paste. As all that cooks, you take a small break as everyone is making some noise and you see a bright light flash from the center of the group. Lotad was evolving, and you got to be the first to congratulate her as you hug your new Lombre. She seemed a lot more relaxed in this form, and looking around, it seemed like your Pokemon were training and tiring themselves out. You’ll have to check and see if they learned any new moves later.

Returning to the fire, you set up makeshift skewers so you can grill all the sliced mushrooms and root that you can. Once everything is done cooking, you make plates for Milo and yourself by creating a bed of rice, scooping on the persim curry, and topping it all with the grilled root and mushrooms. Then you set out the rest for the Pokemon, calling everyone over to eat.

Milo and the Pokemon bound over enthusiastically to grab their helpings. Milo beams when you hand him his plate. In your periphery, you notice the Pancham acting shy again. “You didn’t come all this way just to look at others eat did you? Come, join your friends!” It seems like all she needed was permission because she bolted over immediately to eat with the rest of the Pokemon.

“This is great!” Milo was shoveling in his dinner, he must have been hungrier than he let on. “I’ve never had such a well-considered meal while camping.”

You smiled at his compliment and took a bite yourself. The grilling helped bring out the sweet and savory elements while the curry had a balancing effect, to the point where you were actually enjoying the bitter profile of the pungent root. Not bad for making something out of completely foraged items!

If it wasn’t for everyone starting to quiet down because their mouths were full, you wouldn’t have heard the faint vibrating in your bag. You look over to Milo, who has his mouth full.

“I’m going to answer my phone, sorry if I take a while.”

He nods, clearly wanting to say something but instead focusing on chewing and swallowing his food as you slip towards your bag by the fire. You sit crossed-legged with your curry in your lap, and fish your phone from out of your pack. There’s a part of you that still wants to ignore it, but you imagine your tantrum has gone on long enough and it’s time to answer. You tentatively tap on your Rotom Phone and watch the video turn on.

It was Leon. This shocked you a bit since the number was from Sonia’s phone. He wasn’t looking at the phone but at something off camera, like he wasn’t really expecting you to pick up. Which, fair.

“Hi.”

You honestly have no idea what else to say.

There’s a couple seconds of pause as Leon’s eyes slowly move towards the screen and presumably to your face.

“Oh my god.”

The way he says your name twists your heart with guilt. He looks a bit ragged, but as you look at his surroundings, you can see that he’s indoors somewhere. As he shifts to sit up, you can make out that he’s probably in a hotel room, flopped down in bed with the TV on in the background, some trainer’s battle statistics being read off. He’s in some casual clothes instead of his jersey, but still has on his trusty snapback.

“You’re alive, thank Arceus. You’re alive.”

You close your eyes, already feeling a whirlwind of emotions.

“Leon, I-”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry. This was all my fault, please forgive me. Please. Please, I’m sorry.”

The distress in his voice almost startled you. The sincere desperation on his face is clear and unfiltered. A tremor spills through the palm holding your phone.

“No Leon, no. It was me. I’m the idiot here. I need to be the one apologizing.” Your nose sniffles, and the way your senses prickle tell you that tears will soon be on their way. You probably look miserable, and locking eyes with Leon is just making you feel like you’ve been acting like trash these past few days. “I’m so horrified at my behavior, and how I’ve acted. You must have been so worried.”

“I was, I thought, it would be all my fault if something happened to you.” From the sound of his voice, it sounds like Leon is beating you to the crying. “You didn’t answer, not even to yell at me, or tell me to leave you alone, so I couldn’t stop thinking of the worst.” Now come the tears, he doesn’t even pretend to hide them. This only prompted your own to run down your cheeks. “I can be such a bonehead, and insensitive to others, because I’m wrapped up in my own shit. And if you got hurt because I was being a jerk, I just don’t know what I would have done.”

The both of you trade apologies like this for a few more minutes through quiet sobbing. You’re sure the others could sense your emotions but you couldn’t bring yourself to look over.

“Leon, I promise, I’m okay. I only have a small injury and it’s healing well.”

“…What? What happened?”

You recount your encounter with the Seismitoad. Leon cursed, and his golden eyes locked onto you fiercely. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

That sounded rather extra, but for some reason, you didn’t mind. You tried to smile through the ugly crying.

“I was lucky that I was saved by a kind stranger camping out in the Dappled Grove. He’s escorting me to Motostoke, I think I could be there by tomorrow.”

There’s an uncomfortable pause, though you’re not sure why it is.

“Do you… feel safe, you know, with him?” Leon looks dead serious.

“My chastity remains unspoiled, dear knight.”

Leon turns red but maintains his serious demeanor. “I hate that you’re still out there. Maybe if I leave now-”

“No, Leon, don’t. I know you probably have important champion stuff to be doing. Don’t waste time on me because I’ve been acting like a brat.”

“Don’t say that about yourself. Well, at least, you’re not a waste of time to me.” He cracks a bit of a smirk for the first time this entire call. “Though yeah you’re a brat for all you’ve put me and Sonia through.”

“I deserve that.” Your hand rubs at your face, trying to clear away some of the tears. “I owe you both a big apology. Letting me camp with you all and then just running off like that.”

“Hey, all that matters is that you’re safe.”

Leon’s attention suddenly shifts away from the phone, and he beckons someone over. Sonia’s face squeezes into frame and she immediately starts crying, which makes you cry all over again too.

“We were so worried about you! God I was terrified thinking of you out there all by yourself.” She managed through her tears. “You’re grounded, under house arrest, in detention. I don’t want you missing ever again! This is what happens when I leave you alone with Leon.”

“H-hey, I was worried too!”

The two bicker some, and you all begin to break down into soft giggles, sniffles, and hiccups.

“I promise not to do this ever again. If you all want to send me back to Postwick though, I don’t blame you, I deserve it.”

“Don’t say things like that. We promised to go on an adventure together remember?”

You smiled, remembering your time in Wedgehurst with Sonia.

“I-I want to come on the adventure too…” Leon was pouting.

“When I get to Motostoke, I owe you both apologies, and explanations.” You look down, dreading it but knowing it’s the right thing to do. “You both have been so kind, and are basically my anchor here.” A yawn escapes from your mouth. “I should be in Motostoke tomorrow, don’t worry about me if you both are busy with things.”

Sonia wrestles her phone from Leon’s grasp. “Just keep us updated, okay? We’re staying in the Budew Drop Inn, but if you make it in time, you can watch Hop and Gloria participate in the opening ceremony!”

Nodding, you tell yourself that tomorrow has to be a hustle so you can make it in time. “It’s a promise.”

You hear Leon mutter something off to the side which catches Sonia’s attention, making her snicker. “The Great Unbeatable Champion Leon has a request~” She deftly dodges a pillow being thrown at her from off-camera. “And really, from me too, because I want him to leave my phone alone: can I pass along your number to Leon?”

It seems like not all of the of the calls and texts you got were from Sonia after all. You nod with a small smile. You’re glad that this seems mostly like water under the bridge, though you are still a bit embarrassed about how silly you’ve been acting.

Shifting a bit, you realize that you’ve barely touched your dinner. “Okay, I’m going to go. I can’t wait to see you two tomorrow!”

Leon nudged into the camera frame as they both gave their goodbyes, and soon the call was over. You couldn’t help but give one long exhale, trying to relieve all the tension you’ve been holding in your body. It wasn’t even seconds after you put your phone away that Wooloo, Yamper, and Pancham ran over and pressed into you.

“Aww you guys. Thank you.” You tried to hug them all at once, and saw Milo coming over, chuckling.

“Sorry, I tried to keep ‘em at bay to give you some space.” He extended his hand to help you up from the Pokemon pile that wiggled on top of you. His grip encircled yours, warm.

You picked up your plate of food and returned to the rest around the fire, sitting next to Milo. Your Wooloo nestled against your side as your other Pokemon began to huddle together for warmth and comfort.

“Apologies for taking so long, didn’t mean to ignore you.” You begin to eat your curry. “How’s dinner?”

“Amazin’, you have a good touch for cookin’! The Pokemon were very pleased.”

“And how about you?”

He blinks a few times. “I m-mean, of course I loved it…”

It takes all your strength to not smirk or laugh, to not give away how you said that on purpose just to get a reaction from Milo.

“I’m glad, I wanted you to feel how grateful I am that you’re as kind as you are.” You look over to him, and even though the only light is coming from the campfire, it’s not hard to see he’s blushing. “I’ve caused you trouble, and I just want to thank you for all that you’ve done for me.”

Milo stammers out some words that you can’t really understand, but you just smile and continue eating as he works through his awkwardness. Guy has to learn to take a compliment, you know?

“Y-you’re welcome though!!” He eventually spits out, desperately scooping at his empty plate trying to seem like he was concentrating on eating still. You hear the telltale giggling of his Pokemon around him. “You guys, s-stop!”

Cracking a smile, you collect all the dinnerware and head down to the lake to wash everything. The moon is covered by clouds, but some of its light shimmers on the surface of the water. The conversation with Sonia and Leon replays through your mind as you wipe off the remnants of dinner. It was surprising that they didn’t tell you off or make you to go home to Postwick. It showed that you were ready to give up when others believed in you. And you needed to see this through, mainly for your own personal growth, but also to respect the time and energy others put into you.

Returning to camp, you come to an almost domestic scene of all your Pokemon and Pancham just huddled in one cute heap and Milo nearby petting Wooloo with one hand while he checks his phone with the other. Sensing your emotions, your Rotom Phone zips out of your pocket and snaps a picture. The camera shutter sound and your subsequent scolding of Rotom alerts Milo to your presence.

“Thanks for takin’ care of the dishes! I feel spoiled.”

“Good.” You smile, hoping Milo doesn’t bring up the fact that your Rotom creeped on him, and set the plates and such into his tent. “Though I bet you’re ready for me to get out of your hair by now.”

“Not at all.” He checks the time on his phone. “But if we’re gonna make it to Motostoke before the openin’ ceremony, we should probably hit the hay soon and get up early.” He stretched and yawned, with Wooloo whining a little from the loss of contact.

The both of you rustle around preparing for bed, Milo inside his tent and you rolling out your sleeping bag by the campfire. You’re about to put out the fire when Milo calls for your attention, his head poking out from his tent.

“You’re sleepin’ outside? Aren’t you chilly out here?” He sounds concerned, which makes you feel something all over.

“I imagine you want your tent back to yourself. Plus I got this big pile of Pokemon to keep me warm.” All of your Pokemon are out except for Vanillite, who returned to their Pokeball after no one wanted to cuddle with below freezing body temperatures, with Pancham taking their place. More honestly, you decided to stay outside mainly out of respect for Milo’s relationship with Nessa.

Milo’s brow is furrowed and it seems like there’s a battle going on in his head. “Okay, only if you’re sure…” He pauses. “I really don’t mind i-if y-you…” His voice trails off and you take it as him trying to be polite.

“Don’t worry, you deserve a night off from babysitting me. I can handle this.” …you think.

He eventually accepts your answer, not one to push, and eventually wishes you good night before slipping back inside his tent. You douse the fire and crawl into your sleeping bag, and the Pokemon promptly huddle into the various nooks your body makes sleeping on your side. Turns out having cuddly Pokemon has its practical benefits too. Your eyes were about to close when you hear your phone buzz.

Rotom apologized noting the timing, but you see a text from an unfamiliar Galarian number, and upon opening the message realize it’s Leon.

_Hi its Leon! Just texting so you have my number_

You smile, starting to feel a sense of normalcy after all the events in the Wild Area.

_thanks~ looking forward to reuniting tomorrow <3_

Moving to slip your phone back into a bag pocket, you pause when it vibrates again. You turn the screen towards you and see Leon has already replied.

_I can’t wait! I don’t think I’ll be able to sit still until I see you with my own eyes_

So much for ‘just’ texting you for saving his number. A part of you admits that you’re a little happy though.

_definitely hustling over to Motostoke, planning on waking up early and everything! will you be busy doing things for the ceremony tomorrow?_

Your eyes close for only a moment before you get another text from Leon.

 _Well_ _yes I mean I AM the Champion after all ;)_

You snort at him capitalizing champion, stirring your Yamper from her sleep for a second before you pet her back into slumber.

_Pardon me, your Highness. i come from a land without royalty_

Pancham wiggles around in the space behind your knees before breathing out a satisfied sigh.

_PLEASE don’t call me that lol sorry I keep forgetting you dont know much about sports_

You roll your eyes a bit.

_then do enlighten me, Mr. Unbeatable Champion Sir ;)_

The screen lights up with an immediate “ _STOP_ ” text from him, making you giggle. Wooloo bleats a soft noise of concern into your chest, and promptly goes back to sleep when nothing seems wrong.

_Nooooo you’re killing me dooooont :( one thing I like about you is that you treat me like a normal human being not like the Champion_

You’re not sure if you should read into that text or not.

_But anyway! I can sneak away whenever Charizard can show me to the city gates. So make sure to text me as you’re arriving and I can meet you!!!! :D_

Looks like Charizard is going to be the one guiding you around Motostoke then.

_sounds like a plan! see you tomorrow then~_

Leon wishes you a good night, and you finally tuck Rotom into your bag. Closing your eyes, you can’t help but think of how normal that felt. Being out in the Wild Area has really pushed you out of your element, a scary place in a strange region. You’ve never really camped before and now you’ve just spent three days in the wilderness. And since you’re recovering from a near-death experience, it’s time to leave the Wild Area for the rest of your days.

Just as you were about to drift off, you heard the unzipping of Milo’s tent, followed by footsteps and the shuffling of some material against fabric. Your eyes open and head turns as the Pokemon resting against your body shift in response to what they are sensing. It’s almost pitch black, but the light from a Rotom Phone shows someone is laying a sleeping bag down near you.

“…Milo…?”

His silhouette pauses before continuing to slide into his sleeping bag.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake ya.”

You turn your body so you’re completely facing him. The Pokemon grumble when they are disturbed, and now congregate in-between Milo and yourself, with Wooloo shamelessly pressing into Milo’s chest.

“What are you doing out here?”

“It jus' didn’t feel right lettin’ you sleep out here all by yourself.”

You’re thankful for the cover of darkness, since you definitely have an embarrassed smile on your face.

“Oh, you don’t have to do this really, I got the Pokemon out here with me.”

“I can leave if it makes ya uncomfortable-”

“No!”

You say a little too quickly and loudly, enough to startle some of your Pokemon.

“I mean… I like that you’re here, and selfishly want you to stay, I just don’t want you inconveniencing yourself on my behalf even more than you already have… Arceus, I’m talking too much.”

You desperately wish you could read his expression through the dark, but you think you hear a light chuckle.

“I want to be here too. Sounds like everythin’s alright then.”

It feels like you should just fall asleep at that, but also, it seems like the right time to chat a little more.

“Looks like Wooloo’s happy. We might have to do joint custody at this rate.”

You can hear Wooloo’s wool being pet, and the Pokemon letting out a pleased sigh.

“He definitely would make all my other Wooloo jealous. I wonder if they’ll play well with him.”

“We’ll have to find out when I visit.”

There’s a few moments of silence, and you yawn a little.

“I’ll miss your company until then.”

Milo seems to shift around in his sleeping bag a bit in response to that.

“…r-really now? Sounds like you have good friends waitin’ for ya…”

You hum a bit as your eyes feel heavier. It’s true, you are about to re-enter the whirlwind that is Leon and Sonia. But there is something about this man in front of you that makes you feel a different way. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but that’s why you wish you could spend more time with him.

“Yeah but I want to spend more time with you.” Your thoughts are getting a bit hazy and running into your words as physical and emotional exhaustion begin to overtake you. “You make me… feel different…”

If Milo responded, you’ve fallen too deep into sleep to hear it.


	8. Motostoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buckle in y'all, a lot of developments this chapter! It's long, so grab your beverage of choice and dig in for the long haul! Events involving Milo and Leon complicate your adventure: Milo's secrets are revealed and you begin to experience some of the difficulties of being associated with the Champion of Galar.

The entrance to Motostoke was a grand, brick-lined staircase, like a bridge into a fortress. It’s intimidating. Coming closer to the steps, you realize how this feels like a gate to the rest of Galar, and you’ve been contained to a little tiny pocket this entire time. Your thumbs graze the straps of your bag hanging from your shoulders as you contemplate this. Things are only going to get more serious from now on, aren’t they? A chill runs up your arms, the cool morning air brushing past you. The sun hasn’t yet peeked over the cliffs of the Wild Area, casting sleepy shadows across the field.

“We’ve made it!”

Milo clearly is used to being awake right at dawn, and has gently ushered you from your sleeping bag while it was still dark and along the walls until you reached the stairs of Motostoke. Most of your Pokemon were too sleepy to do the walk, only Wooloo, Milo’s Pokemon, and the wild Pancham followed along with you. Wooloo refused to not walk pressed up against your legs, and not being particularly agile this early in the morning, tripped you at a pretty consistent rate. Instead of saying something to the Wooloo, Milo opted for you to hang onto his arm again.

But here you are, literally steps away from civilization. You take out your phone to text Leon that you arrived, and he quickly replies that he’s getting Charizard to come retrieve you. Your mind was preoccupied wishing for a warm shower when you hear some shuffling behind you. Turning, you see Pancham kicking her feet a bit. Wooloo turns with you, and decides to sleepily trot over to her. You crouch down, not feeling particularly coherent, but knowing you should say something.

“It was so sweet of you to join us for some camping. Did you enjoy yourself?” You offer a hand, and she brushes her cheek against it, nodding. “I can tell you made friends with my Pokemon, right Wooloo?”

Wooloo nuzzles against Pancham, making her eyes glisten. From your periphery, you notice Milo intently watching your exchange, keeping quiet. Reaching to one of your bag pockets, you fish out a Pokeball, and show it to her.

“I won’t force you to come with me, but if you want, you can join us on our adventure.” Your eyes still squint in tiredness, but you’re able to muster a genuine smile for Pancham.

The Pokemon takes the device into her paws, staring at it for a bit. She stares across the lake, probably back to where you found her. Wooloo gives an encouraging baaah, nudging Pancham. You gesture to the knob. “Just press that button, but only if you want.”

With a few more moments of contemplation, a bright flash of light envelops Pancham and she enters the Pokeball. There aren’t many more movements, and it clicks into place. You’re quick to let her back out, giving her a hug. “Welcome to the team!”

You stand as Wooloo takes over hugging duties, and Pancham looks happy. You look over to Milo, who has a more serious look on his face than you were expecting. His brow is scrunched and it looks like he is really considering something.

“Everything okay, Milo?”

He jumps a bit, clearly lost in thought. Milo blinks a few times and presses his lips together, like he’s steeling himself for something. You didn’t notice it before, but he was clasping an envelope in his hand. First, he whispers your name, then quickly shakes his head and steps closer to you.

“I know this is sudden but-” You notice he’s turning red. “I have to hurry ‘n meet Nessa for somethin’. I hate rushin’ off like this, but, I could also use a favor.” He offers the envelope, which you assume inside is a letter, to you. “You’re goin’ to the openin’ ceremony, right? If you’re gettin’ there early, can you give this to the person at the front desk?”

You take the letter from him, flipping it over to notice a green stamp in the shape of a leaf. “Sure, of course! It’s the least I can do for all the help you’ve given me. I’ll make sure to arrive early.” You pocket it safely. “I guess this is goodbye?”

He gives you a quick nod. “For now, I’m sure we’ll see each other soon!” Milo begins to move backwards towards the stairs, waving. He really seems to want to run off, turning and scaling the steps towards the city, his Pokemon floating around him and making sounds as if they were chiding him. It was much like how it happened over at Route 1, breezing into and out of your life. You wish you were able to get his number, or any other sort of contact. You make a mental note to visit Turffield, once you learn where it is.

Returning your Pokemon to their Pokeballs, you begin to climb the steps. Ambient noise of both the river and the city ease into your senses as you progress upwards. You hear what you come to see are large rotating gears and streams of steam leaking into the sky above. A feeling of excitement rises from your chest as you finally make it to the top, taking in the view of a bustling city. It’s such a contrast to the quiet of Postwick and Wedgehurst and the utter remoteness of the Wild Area. People mill about on the bridge crossing the river and in the distance more dense crowds hustle to their destinations.

The sound of your name breaks your reverie, and in the middle distance you see someone sprinting towards you. You barely have the time to react before Leon nearly crashes into you, pulling you into a big bear hug. Shocked, you gently place your hands on his back. Behind him you see onlookers staring and Charizard making his way over.

“You’re here! Thank Arceus you’re actually alright.”

Smiling, you close your eyes and give him a proper friendly squeeze. “I promised, didn’t I?” Your face was pressed into his shoulder, and you can feel his heart beating from presumably his run over.

“I know but… I just had to see you myself to believe it.” Leon pulls away, and begins to realize the closeness of your bodies before letting go quickly. “Sorry- didn’t mean to-”

“It’s okay, Leon.” You smile softly as you both tear up.

A huff comes from behind him, and Leon makes room for Charizard to say hello. You pet him, but you can’t help but notice people are gawking a bit.

“Shall we get out of here?”

You nod enthusiastically. “Please, I need to shower so badly!”

“I wasn’t going to say that out loud, _but_ -” Leon’s cut short by you poking him in the side in retaliation. When he reacts strongly, you do it a few more times. “Stop! That’s my type weakness!” Who would have known the Champion of Galar was ticklish?

Rolling your eyes and petting Charizard one more time, the three of you crossed the bridge into Motostoke proper. However, it became clear navigating through the city wouldn’t be as straightforward as you thought. Leon was attracting a constant influx of attention, probably because more trainers and sports fans are in the city than usual because of the ceremony. You could tell that it pained him turn down autographs and selfies, he would stop and only do a few at a time before apologizing.

“Sorry everyone, I have to get her back to the hotel.” This drew more curiosity your way. You weren’t sure how you felt about being noticed by everyone like that. “But after the opening ceremony, there will be plenty of Champion Time!” He strikes that dramatic pose of his and the crowds cheers. Leon nods at Charizard. “Lead the way, mate!”

Charizard takes off and Leon runs after him, leaving you to scramble keeping up. Every once in a while Leon would look back over his shoulder at you, as if checking that you were actually still there with him.

Motostoke is characterized by its red bricks and industrial metal, giving you the feeling that even though this is a city, it is full of working class folk and has more of a big town vibe. You notice people in what looks like mining overalls, and plenty of off-duty watt traders. There were more second-hand stores and plant nurseries than anything fancy. It was an interesting contrast with the trendy stores on the main thoroughfare in the center of the city. But there's still plenty of motion, much more than you usually see in Alolan cities. The train cruised through the city at timed intervals, and large flying Pokemon you’ve never seen before pick up and drop off passengers in compact cars. You tried to remember some stores for visiting later before you got on the moving platform that brought you to the second level of the city.

“Woah, this is so cool!”

Leon couldn’t help but smirk at your reaction. He’s been focused on making his way through the crowd after Charizard, waving at people who call out his name, signing a shirt or two along the way, but trying not to get too distracted.

“I used to ride this all the time as kid whenever my family visited. Mum would yell at me for pressing the button too many times, said it made her motion sick.”

Charizard shakes his head, leading the two of you off the platform. You see crowds lining up to enter a large building, with intermittent cheering and Pokemon cries. In particular, there was a loud group of fans in black and pink yelling the loudest for a particular challenger they had banners for. Galar… really takes this gym challenge seriously, doesn’t it? There was even a figure dancing around in what you assumed to be a Pokeball costume, handing out Pokeballs to everyone and encouraging children to enter the challenge when they were older.

“That’s Motostoke Stadium, where the opening ceremony is. I’ll be able to get us through when we come back.” Leon scans the situation before Charizard huffs again for him to follow. He could tell Leon was prone to getting sucked into crowds of adoring fans if left to his own devices for too long.

The Budew Drop Inn wasn’t too far away, a straight shot from the stadium. You notice trainers leaving it heading towards where you just came from.

“The League put us all up here, so if they are running late, we might run into Hop and Gloria! Unlikely though, Hop was probably bouncing all night.” He chuckles to himself as you both enter.

Indeed, moving through the lobby you don’t spot any familiar faces though, of course, the young trainers are reacting to Leon. You also feel like they are reacting to you, not knowing who you are or why you’re with Leon. Their eyes begin to feel like weights pressed on your body, and you couldn’t be happier when the elevator doors closed and it was just you, Leon, and Charizard. There’s something comforting about the low hum of the machinery lifting you upwards.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.”

You turn to Leon, surprised. It seems like you’ve had enough time to process your encounter with danger in the Dappled Grove, but it must still fresh for him. He’s leaning back with arms crossed over his chest, looking over to you… wistfully?

“Sorry Leon. I just… wasn’t thinking right.”

Charizard seems to busy himself looking at the elevator controls as the two of you talked in hushed tones.

“I don’t know what came over me. I shouldn’t have been so rude to you.” You lock eyes with his golden gaze. “Do you think you can ever forgive me?”

His expression softens, maybe even looks a bit sad.

“Of course I do. I was acting all weird around you, because… because…” Charizard casts Leon a look, and he gulps, looking incredibly flustered.

There’s a chime, and the elevator doors open. Trainers file in, recognizing the famous duo. Trying to talk with Leon prompts him to grab your sleeve and lead you onto the floor instead of finishing what he was going to say. You hear Charizard exhale a disapproving grunt.

Soon you were in the room you saw through the phone, seeing a scattering of Sonia’s and Leon’s things all over. Both probably are a bit of a mess. Leon flops back onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

“Okay, I’ll take a quick shower and change into something fresh.” You set your bag down in a corner, grabbed what you needed from it, and slipped into the bathroom. Everything felt both strange and familiar, not having things like running water and electricity for the past few days almost made you feel like you regressed in some way. But the moment you stepped into the heated spray, you felt all the discomfort in your body melt away. The film of sweat and dirt on your skin finally washed off with a good scrub, and the steam smelled of your body wash, honey with a range of floral notes.

Reaching out of the shower to grab something for your hair, you catch conversation through the thin wall. It sounds like Leon is talking his Charizard.

_“Don’t give me that look.”_

You hear Charizard give an exasperated sigh.

_“I’m just waiting for the right moment!”_

What is Leon talking about? You can hear him groan.

_“Arceus- Raihan’s right, I have zero game.”_

You begin to feel a bit guilty eavesdropping, so you return to your shower. You guess he might be talking about Sonia, and imagine there’s a lot to catch up with once you all get some time to yourselves.

Eventually you get through the motions of your shower and exit it, feeling better. You’ll never take a functioning bathroom for granted ever again. Quickly slipping into clean clothes and leaving the bathroom, you look into the mirror and attempt to, in vain, tidy up your hair. You hear Leon rise from the nearby bed and lean on the threshold to the vanity area. He sounds like he’s going to say something, but hesitates. You can see him in the reflection of the mirror, and he’s tapping the sides of his face with his hands for some reason.

“Is something wrong Leon?” You’re applying a quick amount of lotion before hurrying to slip on shoes that aren’t caked in mud and grass.

“O-oh nothing! Just wanted to be ready to leave soon.” He coughs a bit, strangely at the same time Charizard makes some noises.

“Okay okay, I’m almost done.” Reaching for your phone in your bag, you remember your promise to Milo and grab the letter to slip it into your back pocket. “Alright, I’m all set to go!”

“Let’s go!” Leon is quick to throw open the door and lead everyone out of the room.

Soon you all exit the hotel and Charizard leads you down the path to the stadium. Crowds clogged the streets and blocked the path forward. You easily got jostled by hyped up sports fans, especially ones that noticed Leon and his Charizard. And considering how much they stuck out like sore thumbs, a long shock of purple hair over a cape with a flame orange companion, that was everyone within a mile. Fans tried to get in some Champion Time and mostly saw you as an obstacle in the way of getting a moment with Leon. It’s not long that you lose sight of the two as you’re pushed back and away from them.

You call out Leon’s name, but all you can do is hear him try to calm down excitable fans. It must be tough having to put up an image constantly, and needing to cater to fans whenever he steps outside. He seems to enjoy though, at least, that’s what you see from the outside. Leon seems at his best when he’s among his fans, talking to them about Pokemon battles and striking poses. All the times you see him in private he seems off, maybe because you don’t treat him like a champion. You’re not really that interested in becoming The Best or getting his autograph. No desire to fight him and become champion yourself. Maybe it was selfish of you to basically ignore that Leon was The Champion of Galar, not putting much importance into it, because that makes up for so much of who he is.

A hand appears from the crowd and grabs yours. You try to stammer out a sound of surprise, but you’re pulled in as some of the crowd parts to make room. Soon enough you see the arm belongs to Leon, and you can’t help but notice how well-muscled it is. Your fingers instinctively tighten and his rougher palm brushes up against your softer skin. Warmth creeps into your face as you lock eyes with Leon, who looks both determined and concerned.

“Hold on tight, we’re just going to push through!” He doesn’t seem to notice your reaction at all, and turns to move through the crowd.

Leon politely tells people to move aside, or that he’ll sign their grandma’s Alcremie’s Pokeball some other time, trying to stay a cheerful champion but getting more forward when fans don’t listen. You’re definitely noticing the amount of eyes on you, and wonder if the flashing you’re seeing is your anxiety or Rotom Phones. You feel Leon’s grip tighten as he begins to shoulder through enough people to finally arrive to the front doors of the stadium. What look like event coordinators are trying to corral people into orderly lines and only let a few people in at a time. They stiffen a bit when they see Leon suddenly among the people they are trying to hold back.

“Ch-champion Leon!! What are you doing out here? Oleana has been looking for you!”

He puts back on that Champion Smile. “Sorry, I got a little lost on the way! You know me.”

The staff let out an exasperated sigh, then look over to you, eyes trailing from your face, to your hand being held by Leon’s, and back to your face.

“And who’s this?”

Leon suddenly becomes very aware of holding your hand and drops it.

“A f-friend! Sitting with me.”

He quickly waves and moves past them, signaling you to follow. When you enter past the doors you both arrive in what looks to be the lobby of the stadium. In the back you notice a reception desk, and remember what Milo told you.

“Leon, one second, I need to deliver something to the front desk.” You beckon them to follow as he and Charizard were about to go off in a different direction. Mercifully, there’s no one else needing to take up the attendant’s time, so you hope this goes quickly. “Excuse me, is this front desk?”

The man behind the counter looks up from the computer he’s typing on and nods. “May I help you?”

“Yes, I was asked to deliver this letter to you.” You take out Milo’s letter and give it to him. Leon sees it and his eyebrows scrunch in confusion. You must have forgotten to mention it to him in the rush of everything. “Hopefully everything’s all there.”

Business done, you turn to Leon. “Alright, that’s all! Ready to go? I’m so excited to see Hop and Gloria out there!”

You’re about to step away when you hear your name being called. Confused, you turn back to the man at the front desk, who is reading the letter that was in the envelope. “I’m sorry, how did you know my name?”

“It’s right here.” He shows you the letter, but you don’t understand why it would be there. “It’s an Endorsement Letter for the Gym Challenge. And not just any endorsement.” He points down to the messy signature at the bottom of all the writing. “This is from Milo, Turffield’s very own Gym Leader.”

It takes a couple seconds for you to notice your mouth is hanging open.

“Milo is a WHAT!?”

* * *

There he is on the big screen. Kind but goofy grin, messy peach hair, noticeably jacked silhouette. That’s Milo alright, and he’s waving to the entire stadium in an outfit you haven’t seen him in before, along with the other Galarian gym leaders wearing similar ones. And not only that… right next to him is a face you recognize. The model Nessa. Milo’s girlfriend Nessa.

You’re standing in a locker room with other Gym Challengers watching the screens of what’s going on out on the stadium pitch. The man at the front desk hurried you away from a confounded Leon, grabbing a uniform that looked your size, and escorted you to the room where new challengers would be waiting. And here you are now, wearing the numbers 168, standing between Hop and Gloria. The look on their faces when you appeared was priceless, but now they were mostly excited for you be there.

It is a mystery as to why Milo endorsed you to do the Gym Challenge, especially when you said you weren’t really interested. Pokemon battles don’t excite you, and you aren’t looking to beat Leon and become the next Champion. And he never mentioned that he was a gym leader the entire time you were with him! You suppose that you never asked, but isn’t it pertinent information for when you’re handing near-strangers letters of endorsements for the biggest sporting event in the nation!?

Everything was still processing through your mind when the event coordinators began to herd all the new challenges out of the locker rooms and into the tunnel that led towards the field. The noise from the crowd was overwhelming, thumping in your chest where your heart should be. A wave of anxiety churns through your torso as it hits you what is happening. This entire time you were confused about how you arrived at this point, but now you’re being asked to take your own steps forward. Hop is dragging Gloria forward who in turn pulls you closer to the pitch, only letting go once you arrive and see the crowds cheering.

How did you get here? You didn’t even want to be here. And now everyone sees you, both with their eyes and cameras, and it’s like there’s no turning back. You can’t run.

They eventually line you all up to go and shake hands with the gym leaders. Milo is first, and your heart beats faster as you approach him. Eventually, you’re in his periphery, and if you didn’t know any better, you would say he was beginning to stutter and turn a shade redder. Maybe that was just the effect of the stadium lighting.

Eventually, it’s your turn. You step in front of him and see that his emerald eyes are downcast and his face his completely red. He grasps your hand, but doesn’t really shake it. It’s almost as if he’s looking for an apology.

“Q-quite the surprise, huh…?” He’s able to get out at least that much, though you barely heard him over the din of the stadium.

“Milo, what is going on??”

You can’t continue the conversation because of the flow of the line, you’re quickly nudged over to face the next leader:

Nessa.

Shaking your hand, she looks you dead-set in the eye. You can’t help but notice how elegant she is, even in the sportswear. She leans in closer to you.

“Interesting.”

That wasn’t what you were expecting to hear from her. You notice Milo looking over to the both of you from the corner of his eyes.

“Make sure to beat Milo, I want to know what he sees in you.”

And with that, the line forces you to move on to the attractive older man next to her. You continue down the line, shaking hands with all the gym leaders, and only when you near the end do you see that Leon has also joined the gym leaders in the event. When you arrive in front of him, he gives you a _look_. You don’t know what it means, but instead of shaking your hand, he gives you a quick hug. You feel his warm breath on your neck as he whispers into your ear:

“Wait for me in the lobby.”

And with that, he sends you off with the rest of the line, back to his Champion smile and handshakes.

* * *

After being forced through some photoshoots with the League’s PR people, you change out of your uniform and head back out to the lobby with Gloria and Hop. The three of you chat before you’re approached by Leon, and by his side is a fashionable-looking man in a business suit.

“Congratulations again! You all looked great in your jerseys.” Leon high-fives the kids, and directs a small smile your way. “I wanted to introduce you all to Chairman Rose, he’s the head of the League!”

The chairman waves his hand in modesty. “It’s good to meet you all! I was curious to see who was able to get the Champion’s endorsement.” He then looks over to you. “And Gym Leader Milo’s! Very unusual and rare indeed.”

There is something about the chairman that makes you nervous. All that you know of him is from TV and passing talk, and it makes him seem almost god-like. At the vary least, the patron of all of Galar. He sees the Dynamax bands on the kids’ wrists and brings a hand to his chin.

“If you all have those, you must have been guided here by the light of the Wishing Stars… Auspicious indeed.” Rose turns to Leon. “I must be off, and I’m sure you have to get to things as well.” And with a friendly nod, he departs.

Leon crosses his hands over his chest with a smile. “That’s the Chairman for you, he’s always pushing himself for Galar’s sake! I learn so much from him.”

“And I’m going to push myself too! Just you watch, Leon!” Hop thrusts a finger at his brother. “I _will_ be the next Champion of Galar! C’mon Gloria, we need to hurry to Turffield and get our first badge!”

Hop bolts off to the exit, and Gloria is shaking her head. “It turns out no matter how fast he runs off, no matter how long I take, he’s always waiting for me.” Gloria is either just observant or already a fine manipulator of men. She comes over to hug you, squeezing tight. “I’m so happy my cousin is coming on this journey too! It makes it less lonely.”

“You always have my number, feel free to call if you’re ever in trouble, okay? ” Your eyes look up to Leon. “I have Pokemon now, that means I can help people.”

Leon returns an expression of curiosity, uncrossing his arms and smoothing his beard in thought.

Gloria pulls away from you. “Okay, I better follow Hop before he gets into trouble. I hope to see you in Turffield!” With a shy wave to Leon, she’s off through the doors.

The lobby is actually pretty quiet since most of the crowd of fans were moved out of the building as the challengers changed and were given instruction on what they needed to do. You were given a tour of the map of Galar, seeing the order of the gyms you had to challenge before competing in the Champion Cup at Wyndon. You learned that the first gym you were to visit is Turffield Stadium’s. Milo said he was from Turffield, so you imagined he would be there. You were hoping to see him out here in this lobby, but he must have slipped out some other way.

“Leon, I’m sorry, I had no idea what was in that letter!” This is the first time you’ve been able to speak with him one-on-one since you were suddenly pulled into the opening ceremony. “I told Milo I wasn’t interested in the gym challenge, so I have no idea why he did that. I almost want to drop out, it just feels wrong for me to take up a spot…”

“No.” Leon steps closer to you, closing the distance between you enough for you to tilt your head slightly upwards to meet him in the eyes. “I’ll admit that I was hurt at first… I thought you didn’t want my endorsement. That Milo was special to you.”

Your face begins to feel a bit hot, you never knew such strong emotions like this exist because of sports.

The gears are turning behind his gaze. “He must have seen something special in you. As Chairman Rose said, you’re being guided by your Wishing Star… I was there, I know what your wish was.” You wonder why he doesn't look as flustered as you feel remembering that moment on the bench outside of Professor Magnolia's house. He hits a closed fist into an open palm, like he just decided on something. “No, you’re supposed to do this, don’t drop out! I think I can do it by the time you get to Wyndon, if you’re able to push through.”

That last part makes your brows knit and head tilt to the side. “Do what??”

Leon looks like he said something he shouldn’t have, backing up from you. “Nothing, absolutely nothin-”

“There you are!”

A hug glomps onto you from behind, and the impeccable turquoise nails on the hands clasped around your shoulders signal that it’s Sonia.

“What a total shocker this is! You should have seen Leon panicking earlier when he told me the news.” Sonia giggles in your ear, her breath tickling at your neck.

The Champion of Galar fidgets in front of you. “ANYWAY,” It seems like Leon doesn’t wish for Sonia to elaborate further. “I have to get to some work done for the Chairman. I’ll text you two later, the gym leaders always have a get-together before heading off to their gyms.”

He waves and dashes off to the entrance, seeming to steel himself before going out to the public.

Sonia lets go of you and turns you around to face her. “It’s been a sec since I’ve last been to Motostoke, or hung out with any of the gym leaders in fact.” As if being reminded of something, she lets go of your shoulders and begins to text on her phone. “Actually my best friend is a gym leader, I’m sure she’ll be down for a cuppa before we head to dinner.”

She begins to walk absentmindedly towards the door as she texted with her friend, and you followed, feeling more lost than you did before. At least you could see all of Postwick, and everything seemed predictable and quiet. Now are you not only out traveling a region you barely know, but are participating in its most important sporting event without a clue of what you were doing. Everyone else moved around so naturally, and to you, everything’s foreign.

“Alright?”

You didn’t notice that Sonia finished what she was doing on her phone and looked over to see how overwhelmed you were feeling. Giving her a weak smile didn’t do anything to convince her that you were okay.

“I got it!” Her eyes sparkle a bit as she grabs your hand. “You know what you could use? A bit of shopping!”

* * *

You have to admit, shopping and gossiping with Sonia _does_ make you feel better. She mostly talks to you about their time in the Wild Area after you separated, wisely gliding around moments that would remind you of the worry you put them through and highlighting the amount of times Leon would get lost. Things begin to feel normal again. Sonia is mainly looking through the glasses collection, asking which pair makes her look the most professorial, if that’s a word. Feeling like you should look more the part of a gym challenger, you buy some track bottoms and a matching cap, along with a pair of purple sunglass Sonia slips on your face to match your yellow jacket. You had quite the fashionable and colorful getup for a gym challenger, you think, looking at your clothes in a mirror. The less this is about getting lost and grimy in the Wild Area, the better.

Just as you both exit the store, Sonia’s Rotom Phone pops out of her bag and shows her a new text she received. “Brilliant!” She makes a couple taps before Rotom buzzes happily and flies back where it came from. “She’s meeting us at a cafe down the way! Just follow me~”

You stroll down the boulevard with her, looking around and taking in the scenery. The both of you pass buy vintage record shops and bookstores, all inviting in their own ways. Everything has been a rush since you arrived, but you hope to find an excuse to just look around Motostoke by yourself. Eventually the two of you enter a trendy cafe, somewhere you could totally imagine Sonia meeting with her friends. You scan the tables looking for a spot to sit when you see her:

“Nessa! Darling~”

Sonia moves to hug the gym leader, who was out of her league uniform and in more fashionable clothing not too unlike the ones you’ve seen her model. Nerves all of a sudden wrack your body as they separate, and Sonia turns to introduce you.

“We’ve shaken hands before, but are you good with hugs?”

You’re shocked but begin to relax a bit when you get a friendly hug greeting from Nessa. It makes you think, why are you so nervous around her anyway?

Nessa gestures to the table she’s sitting at, which already has cups of tea for each of you. “I got us all some Calm Mint tea, I hope that’s alright. I know I could use some calm after today.” She tests the temperature of the tea with a small sip before looking over to you. “You’re quite the interesting one, aren’t you? Wouldn’t have guessed you were acquainted with Sonia and Leon.”

You bring the tea closer to your nose so you can smell it. It indeed smells like what you imagine calm to smell like, soft floral and herbal notes stand out of the usual minty taste. “It’s all by chance really. I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time.” You think back to the dinner conversation you had with Leon back in Postwick, your first chance encounter with Milo, and shopping with Sonia.

Her eyebrows raise a little in response. “I guess I didn’t notice it during the ceremony, but that accent is Alolan, is it not?” After you nod, she sits back in her chair. “That makes more sense, you seem to both stick out and not really know what is going on.”

Unsure of whether she meant that as a critique or passing observation, you look down a little embarrassed. “I'll admit, I do feel a bit in the deep end at the moment. All of this is rather sudden.”

“Milo told me about what happened in the Wild Area. I guess you don’t really have places like that where you’re from.”

You get flustered under her gaze as she sips some tea, like she’s evaluating you. Sonia seems to pick up on this and changes the subject. “So Nessa, how are you and Milo doing? I know you both haven’t seen each other for some time, preparing your gyms for the challenge and all.”

“Oh yes, I meant to mention.” She sets down her cup on the table. “We broke up.”

What? Sonia is similarly shocked so you know this must be news to her.

“Really? When?? You were just talking about how you wanted to see him last night!”

“Just after the opening ceremony and before I came over here.”

She doesn’t seem sad or upset at all, which confuses you.

“Nessa this makes it, what, the third time you two have broken up this year?” Sonia rolls her eyes and looks a bit unamused, but it seems more out of concern for her friend than any actual judgement.

“I think it’s for good this time. No really!” She responds to Sonia’s clear expression of disbelief. “He's just one of my best friends and there’s nothing wrong with that. Just because we’re close doesn’t mean we need to be in a relationship. I mean, it doesn’t even _feel_ like we were in one.”

Sonia rests her chin into her palm and nods, as if she’s heard this before. “But you’re the one who keeps starting and breaking things off. Are you sure you’re not going to change your mind about it?”

“It’s for good this time, I swear!” She looks a bit indignant, which actually amuses you. It’s nice to know there’s a human behind what you see as a perfect mask. Nessa crosses her arms, looking more serious. “I told him that we’re rivals. No one sees us as a real challenge, and we’re not going to be taken seriously if we don’t get stronger. A Grass-type specialist is the perfect rival to help me rise to the top, and he could use _any_ excuse to get more serious as a gym leader.”

“You’re serious? What did he say to that?”

Nessa frowns and picks her tea back up. “Oh you know, he just sort of laughed it off like he usually does. He said his only rival is himself or some nonsense like that. I think Milo feels nothing is really going to change between us, but it really is going to be different!”

You’re quiet for the most part, sipping on your tea as the two go back and forth. You can tell they’ve been friends for a bit. It felt good to be included, it’s nice to be around familiarity. Though it isn’t long until Nessa looks to you with a bit of a mischievous look.

“And what’s going on with you and Leon?”

The question hits you like a Wooloo Tackle from the side, making you sputter in your tea a bit. “I’m sorry?? What do you mean by that?”

Ness takes out her Rotom Phone, gives it a few taps, and shows you the screen. Opened up is the popular social media app Pokegram, and your eyes see pictures of you and Leon. “This is blowing up all over the place! Did you really not know?” In a post captioned _Is Champion Leon Dating a Gym Challenger!?_ , there’s a few purposefully chosen pictures to make it seem you and Leon were intimate. The first was him hugging you at the entrance of Motostoke, then there's ones of you entering the elevator at Budew Drop Inn together, him holding your hand going through the crowd outside of the stadium, and of course, his hug during the opening ceremony. Your eyes widen when you see the amount of likes, reposts, and comments.

“Oh my _god_.” Sonia gasps, looking at it from her phone. “We’ve been shopping all day, and no one knows your social names because you’re new here. So we’ve been oblivious this entire time!”

You’re stunned, sitting back in your chair. “How did they get all those pictures?”

“Sports fans are nuts here in Galar.” Nessa takes back her phone and scrolls through it some. “It’s not uncommon for us to have a stalking incident every once in a while, all the gym leaders and Leon have to be extra careful of what we do out in the open. _Especially_ Leon, who obviously has the most fans. I wouldn’t be surprised if Oleana is giving him an earful right now! The League is very controlling of our public image.” She looks over to you. “But it surprises me seeing all this, and it’s Milo of all people endorsing you for the gym challenge. Why didn’t Leon?”

It takes you a couple of seconds for the reeling in your brain to slow down enough to respond to her. “He did offer, but I said no. I wasn’t, and technically sorta still am not, interested in doing the gym challenge. I told that to Milo as well. So it was shocking to find out that he endorsed me. He just asked me to deliver a letter to the person at the front desk, he never told me that what was inside! I didn’t even know he was a gym leader!”

To your surprise, a small smile forms on Nessa’s lips. “I see, now I understand.”

You blink a few times under her gaze. “Understand…?”

Before she could reply, all three of your phones buzz. Your Rotom Phone zips out of your bag and opens up a text for you to look at. It’s a group text of mostly Galarian numbers you don’t recognize, from Leon and including Sonia. Seeing that Nessa got the text as well, you assumed it was to all the gym leaders.

_It’s that time again everyone! Head on over to Huo Guo Hot Pot for our yearly celebration! Let’s start this year off with a Champion good time!_

_Don’t forget to thank our sponsors,_ _Huo Guo Hot Pot, and take plenty photos for Pokegram!_

_(Oleana forced me to write that)_

That’s right, Leon mentioned before there was a gathering happening. Given what you’ve just found out, you’re surprised he’s inviting you. Wouldn’t that just create more controversy?

* * *

Nessa leads the both of you to the restaurant, being the most familiar with Motostoke. You all chat pretty fluidly, any reservations you had being around Nessa washing away. It’s an important lesson about appearances, and giving everyone a chance. You all eventually arrive to a restaurant with wooden finishing and lanterns, giving it a rustic and traditional style more akin to the Johto and Hoenn regions than anything in Galar.

“Despite being sponsors, everything here is really good. Kabu recommends this place whenever there’s a bunch of us in Motosoke.” Nessa mentions as she waves to the League official, who casts a suspicious look your way. “Both are with me.” They nod and hold the door open long enough for the three of you to enter.

Inside is actually quite spacious with many tables, but the only people inside seem to be associated with the League in some way. In the back corner of the restaurant you see some people waving, beckoning Nessa and Sonia over. You follow with a stone of anxiety in your stomach. In no way where you expecting this especially with everything that’s going on.

“Hello, hello! Make room for us why don’t you?” Sonia greeted, smiling and giving some shoulder pats and hugs. It seems like she’s already acquainted with most of the leaders, probably because she’s close with Leon and Nessa. As the text mentioned, it was a hot pot restaurant, and the current setup had four people sharing the same simmering pot.

“Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to a new friend!” You’re certain you blushed when Nessa announced that, both because you were hoping to maintain a low profile and also you didn’t realize she felt so friendly towards you already. Most people were polite, giving smiles, nods, and basic greetings.

“Oi! Yeah you, come sit with us!” You notice a rather tall man grinning and waving at you, and if you remember correctly, he was the furthest down the line of gym leaders when you were shaking hands, just before Leon. In fact, at his table were two, quite interesting people: Leon and Milo. “Just want to get to know you a bit.” He winks as you eventually nod and separate from Sonia and Nessa.

You sit down at the table with a bubbling pot that smelled of mushrooms and spices, next to the stranger and across from Milo, with Leon on the opposite corner of you. Both of the men you know looked incredibly flustered, with Milo looking down at his plate and Leon staring somewhere off in the middle distance. Things definitely feel… awkward.

“’Name’s Raihan, I’m the sorry bloke that has to clean up all of this guy’s,” He jerks his thumb towards Leon. “messes. I also have the best ‘gram feed in all the League.” He winks at you again, leaning back on his chair and draping his long arms on the back.

After introducing yourself, Raihan insists on following each other on Pokegram. You look up to Leon and Milo, who are still shifting uncomfortably on the other side of the table, busying themselves looking at the menu. “What’s wrong with them?”

“That’s what I wanna know, luv.” He peers at them over his phone, still scrolling. “They’ve been acting right daft all day, one thing after another. Figured you would be able to help me out here.” He looks back to what he’s looking at on his phone, eventually stopping on something. “You’re from Alola, right? Accent fits, you have that look to ya.” After you nod, he shows something from Pokegram to Leon and Milo. “Is this what’s got your fancy, mates?”

Both of them turn red. When you look, it’s just a normal picture of you at the beach back on Melemele Island. Sure you have a swimsuit on, but so does everyone at the beach?

“Raihan, stop.” Leon swats the hand holding up the phone, causing the Rotom to zoom away and float by Raihan’s head with a buzz.

“Oh _now_ you want to speak up. Tell me why you got hands all over this bird out of nowhere.” He looks to you. “You’ve seen the pictures, right? I mean, you were there, given, well, you’re the bird.”

You blink a few times being asked so forwardly. “It’s all still a shock to me too. Leon was just being friendly, we were separated in the Wild Area and by the time I arrived here, I was running late to see my cousin in the opening ceremony. I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.”

Raihan smirks a bit, revealing his one sharp tooth that reminded you of a beast. His eyes move between you and Leon a few times. “I see, I see. And Milo’s endorsement of you?”

Looking over to Milo, it seems like he wants to be anywhere but here.

“Not only did he endorse a complete random, no offense, but breaks up with Nessa on the same day. When they didn’t walk out the stadium together, fans went rabid with speculation.”

“She broke up with _me_. N-not that it’s a big deal!” Milo finally chances looking up at everyone. “We’re still good friends, there’s nothin’ awkward or anythin’.”

“Right, right farm boy, we get it. But why did you endorse this bird over here? Have you met before today? You know the League, and the fans, dig into the lives of challengers endorsed by League representatives.”

“I’d like to know too, Milo. I was so shocked.” Your voice is soft, almost like how you would talk to your Pokemon. “I’m not sure what you see in me to use your own name to endorse me.”

Milo shifts his weight in his seat, breathes in some air, and looks up at you through his bangs. “I’m sorry, I shoulda told you. But the way ya handled Pokemon out ‘n the Wild Area was remarkable! Watched three different Pokemon accept your ownership without battlin’. That’s rare and unusual! And…” He fidgets some more instead of finishing.

Both Leon and Raihan raise an eyebrow at you. “Three Pokemon? Which ones?” Leon asks, not having seen it for himself.

You recall by counting on your fingers. “Umm, let’s see, I think he means Wooloo, Lotad, who’s now a Lombre, and Pancham.”

Leon is shocked, and looks to Milo. “So you were with guy with the Wooloo? And who defeated the Seismitoad??”

Milo bashfully nodded, stealing a look at you before looking quickly back down at the menu as a waiter stopped by the table. It seems like someone put in an order for you all already, and various vegetables, meats, and dipping sauces were placed around the pot. “Sake for the table?” When you all, almost too eagerly, nod, small tumblers are placed in front of you and filled up. “Please let me know if you all would like anything else.” They take the menus, bow, and leave.

Raihan is the first to speak, lifting his cup. “To a new gym challenge, yeah? Here’s hoping none get through me and I beat the pants off Leon.”

“Hey, wait-” Leon’s brows furrow, hand halfway to tapping Raihan’s. “I don’t want to cheers to that!”

“And what bollocks do you wish for? Is it…” Raihan looks over to you.

Before he can say anything else, Milo thrusts his cup in. “Cheers to that!”

You play along, not knowing what is going on with these three, but smiling as Leon and Milo begin to open up and talk about this year’s challenge. It’s obvious things aren’t resolved, and there’s more going on behind the scenes, but you put that aside as you remember how much you just enjoy their company. Raihan is an entertaining contrast to their personalities. Where they are earnest and fumbling, he’s smooth and brash at the same time. He easily convinces you into selfies, and you can see that the other two are staring.

The food is indeed delicious, and sharing dinner with the boys is fun. Sometimes funny moments will come up, like both Milo and you attempting to grab the same lotus root, and spending an entire 5 minutes offering it to the other. Or Raihan overzealously dipping his pork into soy sauce and splashing who you learned to be Gordie sitting at the table next to yours. You realize, when you just let go, things seem to work themselves out, and all the tension melts. Yes, things aren’t resolved. But as you look out to this group of people, you sense a feeling of belonging, and you know they will be, in time.

* * *

After dinner, the group splits off in different ways. Some call flying taxis, others head back to Budew Drop Inn, and some even walk off into the city without really saying where they’re heading. You begin your return back to the hotel, the group alongside you boisterous with a healthy amount of sake in them. The rest of the city is quiet but has a low hum with all of the steam-powered machinery at work. The train has stopped by now, but steam lazily hisses from various vents on the streets. Looking up, you can only see a few stars. You realize you haven’t seen a clear sky since you’ve left Postwick. Only fitting given how unclear your path seems to be.

Early in the walk, you feel a tug on your sleeve, and you turn to see Milo trailing behind the rest of the group. You hang back until you’re matching his pace.

“Hey.”

“Evenin’.” He’s not looking directly at you, but you can tell he’s a little more at ease. “How are you feelin’?”

Walking with him reminds you a little of the time you spent together in the Wild Area. “Hmm, lost, but holding faith that I will find my way.” You're surprised at your own honesty.

The both of you walk a couple of paces without saying anything.

“I owe ya a better explanation for everythin’. Just been a bit out of my element today.” He exhales, looks at you, and then back forward. “While it’s true I’m impressed by your ability to attract Pokemon, there's another reason I gave you my endorsement.”

You can tell he’s trying to work up to something. Instinctively, you reach out to his shoulder. “May I?” When he nods, you place your hand on it. Like the rest of his body it’s well-built, your fingers lightly rub the muscle you find there.

“I also did it because…” You can hear him gulp a little. “I wanted us to have an excuse to see each other again. ‘n for you to come visit Turffield.” He looks to you, searching your face for a reaction. “I’ve enjoyed the time we spent together so far.”

That’s when you begin to realize something about Milo.

He’s cute.

Like, really cute.

And that such a cute guy is saying he enjoys his time with you fills your body with funny feelings that pair well with the warmth of all that sake you drank.

“So did I Milo! I’m happy to hear you feel the same.” Whenever the two of you pass by a street light, you try and take in all his features that you can see. The soft qualities of his face, the hard qualities of his body. Everything you’ve felt about Milo rolled into this experience you’re having now.

“Really?” He’s being bashful, which makes you want to tease him a little. But you can tell he's been pushed a lot today, and it was better to be gentler.

“Of course! And you didn’t have to go through all this to see me again. You could, you know, ask for my number.”

“R-right!” A few moments pass in contemplation. It looks like the sake has made his face flushed. “May I have your number? Jus’ for keepin’ in touch ‘n all!”

Smiling, you offer Milo your phone, and he puts in his information. When he hands it back you send him a quick text.

_so glad i met you, all the way back at route 1 <3_

By now you’ve reached the Budew Drop Inn, and all that remains is Sonia, Leon, Raihan, Milo, and yourself. Others, Leon in particular, grab your attention away from Milo, tipsy and full of low giggles. Riding the elevator is when you find out Milo is staying with Raihan. When they move to get off onto their floor, giving their parting goodbyes, the sake in your system emboldens you to hug Milo. You can feel he’s surprised, but eventually he returns the gesture. It’s possible he said something to you, but it was too soft for you to hear. All of you wave goodbye as Raihan drags him away from you and the elevator.

Feeling a pair of eyes on you, you turn around to your remaining friends. Sonia is fighting persistent yawning while Pokegram is showing on her phone. Shifting to look at Leon, you see that he’s been observing you for some time now. His expression is a mix between sleepy and conflicted, like he’s trying to figure something out by just understanding your features. Something in your alcohol-influenced brain decides that Leon also wants a hug, so you step over and wrap your arms around his middle.

His body stiffens for a moment, before relaxing and hugging you tightly. You only now realize how comfortable Leon feels, since he’s usually so uptight around you. Maybe it’s the exhaustion from the day, but you begin to drift asleep, closing your eyes and listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was LONG and I super appreciate everyone who made it all the way through <3 I'd love some feedback at this point, how are you finding the pacing, detail, plot? Any and all comments are super appreciative, I'd love to better my writing style!
> 
> Yes, this is going to be a love triangle mess. I hope y'all are here for it. I almost added in one more but this chapter was already gigantic.
> 
> Also fun fact, the number 168, when added to Milo's uniform number makes 999, the highest number you can have <3
> 
> And major apologies to any British readers out there, I have no idea what I'm doing with Raihan's accent!


End file.
